For Kobbie Mainoo, it was a sign of things to come.
High summer at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and a record crowd for football of 82,262. Manchester United against Arsenal in a July friendly and all the talk surrounded the Gunners’ new £100million midfielder Declan Rice.
But by the end of United’s 2-0 win, the chatter was about Mainoo after the 18-year-old had impressed with his passing ability, maturity and composure on the ball.
“It’s fantastic,” United manager Erik ten Hag said of a player called up to the England squad eight months later for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
“Manchester United is famous for always bringing young players up and it can be done. But we have to see.
“This year, he showed it in spring, then he got injured. We are really happy.”
It was not long, however, before Ten Hag was unhappy again as Mainoo suffered a nasty ankle injury against Real Madrid in the next game of United’s pre-season tour.
Mainoo did not return to first-team action until the end of November, curtailing progress that had seemed inevitable from the moment he joined United’s Under-18 squad in 2021.
Eligible to play for Ghana, where both his parents come from, Mainoo was capped by England from U17 to U19 level and is a son of Stockport like Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
But it was the red half of Manchester, not the blue, that Mainoo headed for at the age of nine after starting his youth career at Cheadle & Gatley junior football club.
Mainoo played a key role as United won 2022 FA Youth Cup, their first success in the competition for more than a decade.
He was named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year at Old Trafford, claiming an award won previously by Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville.
Mainoo celebrated by signing his first professional contract and made his senior debut in a Carabao Cup victory over Charlton in January 2023.
A Premier League debut came off the bench against Leicester the following month and he has really kicked on after that pre-season injury.
The teenager has been a model of consistency in United’s inconsistent season, whether in a defensive midfield role or slightly further forward, and offering hope that better days lie ahead at Old Trafford.
Mainoo scored his first goal in the FA Cup at Newport, a Premier League winner in the dying seconds of a 4-3 classic at Wolves and has now made over 20 first-team appearances.
By the time his close control, vision and ability to resist a fierce Liverpool press had stood out in Sunday’s 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win at Old Trafford, the clamour for him to be included in an England squad was irresistible.
“Come on, man. Come on. Man was immense, gosh,” said former England striker and ITV pundit Ian Wright.
Although some will see Mainoo as too young for a Euro 2024 brief this summer – he does not turn 19 until next month – England have experience of turning to youth at major tournaments.
Theo Walcott went to the 2006 World Cup at the age of 17 and Jude Bellingham shone at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar aged 19.
The hope for Mainoo now is that he will be joining Bellingham in Germany this summer.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Ten Hag bemoans late Burnley equaliser - 'It's so unnecessary'
Erik ten Hag was left frustrated as Manchester United "gave it away" against a spirited Burnley, who held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were on course to claim all three points when Antony pounced on Sander Berge's error to open the scoring in the 79th minute, as they looked to close the gap on fifth-place Tottenham to four points.
However, the hosts could not hold on as Andre Onana was penalised for a foul on Zeki Amdouni, who picked himself up to level from the penalty spot and salvage a point for the visitors three minutes from time.
Ten Hag was made to rue his side's wastefulness as they converted just one of their 27 shots on goal throughout the contest.
"We put ourselves in a winning position and, over long courses of the game, we dominated," he told the BBC. "We played some good football - creating loads of chances - and then to give it away in the end in the final minutes, it's so unnecessary.
"Every team gives up opportunities. But, when it is up to us, it is weird. We created loads of chances as well. We are one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league at this moment. We are creating loads of chances by playing good football.
"We lost control in the second part of the first half when we conceded some chances, but the rest of the game was ours. We were in a winning position, and we gave it away."
Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany saluted the character demonstrated by Burnley, who boosted their Premier League survival hopes by moving to within two points of safety with three games remaining.
"We are where we are in the league for a reason, so not everything can be perfect, but the mentality was perfect - the togetherness, the sacrifice for each other," the Clarets boss said.
"There is tremendous consistency in the club and the approach to each game, even in tough times. We've earned the right to believe and hope."
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