Kobbie Mainoo could follow two former Man Utd stars to achieve rare England feat this week

Kobbie Mainoo could join an exclusive list of young England stars to bypass the under-21s set up while still being eligible, should he feature for the first-team during the March international break.

Mainoo was called up to Lee Carsley's under-21s side for the first time last week, although the promotion left many Manchester United fans disappointed. The midfielder's form at club level has been nothing short of outstanding and there was genuine belief that he would join up with the senior squad.

The 18-year-old arrived at St George's Park at the start of this week and after meeting first-team assistant coach Steve Holland in reception, was informed he would indeed be joining up with United teammates Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire in the senior squad. England have friendlies against Brazil and Belgium to look forward to and Mainoo will be dreaming of a debut.

Should Gareth Southgate decide to test Mainoo at first-team level, then the midfielder will become the latest young talent to earn a senior cap before doing so for the under-21s. Many late bloomers have enjoyed debuts deeper into their careers but only a handful in recent memory have done so while still eligible for the younger group.

Jadon Sancho was the most recent to do so, having made his England debut as an 18-year-old against Croatia in 2018 after rising through the younger age groups before moving up from under-19 to first-team. Wayne Rooney also bypassed the under-21s completely, earning his move up to the first-team after just one appearance for the under-19s and winning his first cap aged 17.

Wingers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Theo Walcott were also promoted into the first-team at an early age, with the former following a similar path to Mainoo in that he was initially part of the under-21s squad for the first time before moving up and making his senior debut. But both did eventually drop back down to the youth set up for a period before earning their spot back.

Mainoo will hope to follow the path carved out by two former United players Sancho and Rooney, with the aim being to impress Southgate to the point in which he comes into contention for this summer's 23-man Euro 2024 squad. The teenager's form for United has seen him instantly become one of the first names on Erik ten Hag's teamsheet and so it is not inconceivable he can have a similar impact at international level.

Whether Southgate chooses to use Mainoo remains to be seen and the England boss has not given out caps for the sake of it. But the Reds academy graduate will have several days of training to make his mark before Saturday's visit of Brazil to Wembley.