kobbie Mainoo was surprised and excited when coach Gareth Southgate called him up to the England team to prepare for two friendly matches against Brazil on March 23 and Belgium on March 26.

Mainoo was initially named in the England U21 team, but was called up by Southgate to prepare for two friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium. Because England did not have any cases in the 25 initially selected players who needed to be replaced due to injury, Southgate’s call for the 18-year-old midfielder showed that the coach highly appreciated Mainoo’s professional capabilities.

On March 19, Mainoo was welcomed by Man Utd teammate Harry Maguire and Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka when the “Three Lions” gathered in Staffordshire. In a post on Instagram , the 18-year-old player wrote: “It’s an honor to be called up to the team for the first time.”

In a quick interview outside England’s headquarters in Saint George Park, Mainoo said he received a text message from Steve Holland, Southgate’s assistant, when he joined the U21 team. “Steve told me to come see him at the reception and say that I had been called up and would be with the team,” the 18-year-old midfielder said. “I’m surprised, but very excited for the week ahead.” Mainoo added that his family was very excited when he first joined the national team.

Mainoo has played for England at the U17 to U19 level, but has never played for the U20 or U21 team. According to Sportmail last month, Mainoo is still considering because he also has interest from Ghana – where he is eligible to play. Randy Abbey – member of the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Federation – told The Times that they hope to convince the 18-year-old midfielder to play for the African team.

But that hope was dashed. Southgate gave Mainoo his chance to debut. According to FIFA regulations, a player can change nationality at any time if they only play in friendly matches, while players under 21 can also switch to another team after three years. if playing less than three official matches.