Paul Ince: Kobbie Mainoo ‘not ready’ for England start v Serbia as ex-Man Utd star names ideal midfield

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince has said Kobbie Mainoo is ‘not ready’ to start for England on Sunday night and feels Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold might be a better selection for the Three Lions.

Mainoo has enjoyed a spectacular rise this season having made just three senior appearances before the 2023/24 campaign. He only earned his first United start at the end of November but ended the campaign as one of Erik ten Hag’s most reliable players.

He started the Red Devils’ final 22 Premier League matches of the season and played in every single game during United’s FA Cup run, which culminated in him scoring what proved to be the winning goal at Wembley in the final against Manchester City.

That remarkable rise earned Mainoo a deserved England call-up, and despite how seamlessly he’s adapted to life in elite-level football, Ince feels the Three Lions might be best going with more experience in his midfield when they begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on Sunday.

“I think Kobbie Mainoo has done really well this season in a struggling Manchester United team, it’s all happened so quickly and I think he has an experienced head for such a young player,” the 56-year-old told Press Box PR.

“He doesn't seem to be phased by anything so his inclusion in the squad makes sense to me, but when you look at the situation in terms of England’s defensive midfield players, does he start?

“It depends how Gareth Southgate wants to go. Does he want to go with two sitting midfield players and then an eight in front of him? Or could he go with Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Phil Foden in front? That looks more of an answer to me. 

 “Is Mainoo ready now? Of course he's not, he's still so young,” Ince continued. “But sometimes you get thrown into the deep end and you just have to swim. You have to survive and I think he can survive. 

 “But listen, we shouldn't put too much pressure on him because he's only young, he's going to make mistakes. The Iceland game wasn't great, he made mistakes, so when it comes to starting him I think it's a difficult one.”

While Ince isn’t sure whether Mainoo should start in midfield against Serbia, he feels Alexander-Arnold is a better option, despite the Liverpool star mainly operating at right-back at club level.

 “It depends how attacking Southgate wants to play against Serbia. The most important thing when you play the first game is not to get beat. So whether Mainoo starts, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“When it comes to starting Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield it’s a tricky one because Serbia have got some good players, look at Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic, they score goals for fun so defensively we have to be spot on. 

“I think in the group stages you don't want to go all guns blazing, especially against a decent Serbia team. I like the idea of maybe putting Trent in there, alongside Rice. No one else has the passing ability that Trent has. 

 “If you ever want to get up the pitch, he can get you up the pitch. If you're playing the likes of Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane he can pick people out. So if it was me, I'd probably play Trent alongside Rice.”