Kobbie Mainoo could make first start for England against Belgium

Kobbie Mainoo has been tipped to make his first start for England in their upcoming friendly clash against Belgium on Tuesday night at Wembley.

England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed that Jordan Henderson won’t be risked for the game, with the Ajax midfielder only returning to full training on Monday.

“He [Henderson] trained this morning, but he is still aware of the problem he has had,” Henderson said, as per the Standard. “He has wanted to give himself every chance, but he will not be available.”

Arsenal’s Declan Rice will captain England for the first time on his 50th appearance for his country, and there is reason to believe United starlet Mainoo could partner him in midfield.

Mainoo made his England debut over the weekend in the 1-0 defeat against Brazil at Wembley. Conor Gallagher started the game in Henderson’s absence.

When asked if he would pick Mainoo or instead move Jude Bellingham back into a deeper role to partner Rice, Southgate replied: “We have a couple of options with that. We have looked at both of those things in training across the week, so definitely Kobbie has a chance for tomorrow.”

Southgate added: “He seems very calm. You can see he is taking everything in. Talking to him tactically, he seems able to take all those concepts on. A lot of young players now, with their academy education, are able to do that.

“You can see his comfort with the ball and receiving in tight areas. There are a lot of steps being taken in a very short period of time, but you saw in the brief cameo the other day some of the qualities he has.

“Sometimes, with the really young ones, they are not even thinking about that. It is all flowing and maybe then as you get a bit older you start to think about it a bit more. It is a beautiful, innocent moment when he is just in the flow and lapping up the opportunities as they come.”

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