Kobbie Mainoo has admitted he was delighted to hear the news that Erik ten Hag will remain as Manchester United manager.
The Ten Hag survived a lengthy post-season review by new United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and is now in talks to extend his contract at Old Trafford.
While Ten Hag has faced plenty of criticism over the past 12 months, one area where he has received widespread praise is his faith in 19-year-old Mainoo, who quickly established himself as a key member of United’s first team last season.
Mainoo’s form for the Red Devils was impressive enough to earn him a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, and he came off the bench in the closing stages of Sunday’s 1-0 win over Serbia to make his debut. in a major international competition.
Preparing for a press conference ahead of England’s next match, Mainoo told reporters of the decision to keep Ten Hag in his role: “Obviously he’s happy to be building with him. He’s got two trophies and hopefully more to come.
“It’s nice to have this peace of mind, we know who we will be returning to as manager in the new season.”
Ten Hag was an analyst for Dutch TV when England beat Serbia and he was caught smiling when Mainoo came off the bench to replace Jude Bellingham who scored in the 86th minute.
“I thank him very much, that he put a lot of trust in me and believed that I will play in the team,” continued Mainoo. “I can’t thank him enough.”
Mainoo could have a big role to play on Thursday when England face Denmark, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s selection in midfield separating him despite a good result. Conor Gallagher and Adam Wharton are also in contention to play, if Southgate chooses to go a different route.
United team-mates Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen will be up against Mainoo when he plays for England, and the youngster added of the pair: “They are both big players for me, Rasmus is smaller than me so I’m always around him.
“I’m trying to learn and take from Christian. If I’m going to play on Thursday, I’ll have to put it aside and compete with him and hopefully I’ll win.”
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