On his debut start for his country at Wembley this evening, Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo displayed maturity at the center of England’s midfield.

Mainoo made history tonight as the Three Lions played Belgium in a friendly, even though he was awarded his first cap on Saturday after playing off the bench against Brazil.

Declan Rice, who captained England for the first time on his 50th appearance, and Jude Bellingham were also chosen by Gareth Southgate, and the 18-year-old was not even somewhat intimidated by the enormity of the occasion. He seemed to thrive, if anything.

Jordan Pickford’s error gave Youri Tielemans an open goal, which the Aston Villa midfielder deservedly took advantage of, causing an early setback for England. 0–1. But instead of giving up, the Brentford striker’s penalty six minutes later allowed Ivan Toney to tie the score for the Three Lions.

The move’s creator, Mainoo, deftly maneuvered through the Belgian midfield, first slowing down to bait Tielemans with the ball before quickly gathering pace to get away from the Villa player. It was the kind of talent more commonly found in midfielders who were born in Barcelona than in Stockport.

With his explosiveness, the eighteen-year-old located Jude Bellingham in space, who subsequently portrayed Toney. Jan Vertonghen, a former center back for Tottenham Hotspur, raced in to try to stop Toney, but he instead fouled the attacker.

Following a brief VAR examination, the referee awarded a penalty, which Toney scored from. 1 to 1.

For the remainder of the first half, Mainoo maintained his outstanding debut, making deft passes and deft touches. Being beside the well-established duo of Bellingham and Declan Rice, he was not as involved as he has been at the center of United’s midfield in recent weeks, but this is normal for a young player making his debut on the international scene.

The former England international turned pundit Jill Scott expressed her “impressment” with Mainoo’s “intelligence” and “link-up play” at halftime. The United star was crucial to the “balance” that the combination of Bellingham, Mainoo, and Rice provided, as noted by former Chelsea player Joe Cole. “He was amazing,” Cole declared at the end.

Apart from his contribution to Toney’s penalty, Mainoo had three particularly noteworthy moments throughout the first half.

One particularly notable instance came when Mainoo mishandled the ball and then fiercely tracked back to win it, tackling two Belgian players in the process. The second saw Bellingham blaze the ball over from the opportunity after a perfectly timed rush to close in and win the ball ahead of Amadou Onana, the Everton player linked to a move to United. The third was a sneaky nutmeg on Onana, who will probably be relieved not to have to play the young player again this season. However, if the rumors are to be believed, the two might be starting together at Old Trafford the following season.

Near the end of the half, Lewis Dunk made another error that gave Belgium the advantage again. Romelu Lukaku, a former United striker, took advantage of the mistake and set up Tielemans for his second goal with a well-executed header after he produced a superb cross with the outside of his foot. 1-2.

Much of the same was played in the second half: clever ball movement, clever pressing, and clever placement. Even though England played worse overall and Mainoo was quieter than in the first half, he still had a strong performance—one that defies his age but has become the norm for him in this breakout season.

It appeared as though Mainoo might even score his first goal at one point, but Belgium’s and Nottingham Forest’s goalkeeper Mats Sels produced a superb save to keep him from having a dream come true.

When the United starlet replaced James Maddison in the 73rd minute, the quiet Wembley fans erupted in applause, marking the loudest moment of the second half up to that point. The performance was best summarized by Channel 4 co-commentator Rob Green, who said that the 18-year-old had “walked into the midfield and taken over at times.”

Although Bellingham’s late goal pulled England even and spared Southgate’s blushes, this display won’t do much to allay worries about the manager’s capacity to bring forth the best in this team.

The ideal pairing for Rice and Bellingham at Euro 2023 this summer has been discussed a lot. This season, Kalvin Phillips has lost his spot both at the club and international levels, and neither Connor Gallagher nor Jordan Henderson have performed well in his stead. Trent Alexander-Arnold has had limited success during his positional trials. It was a query for which there was no clear solution.

Mainoo delivered precisely that tonight. It is a different matter entirely whether Southgate possesses the necessary mental fortitude to acknowledge it.