It’ll be a proud moment for Manchester United if Kobbie Mainoo makes his England debut, but who are the five prospects who could be next?
Kobbie Mainoo is the pride of Manchester United right now as he goes from strength to strength in his maiden campaign as a senior player.
Since his full debut against Everton, Mainoo has had mainly highs with few lows, but the last week will no doubt have been his peak.
From bossing the midfield against Liverpool last Sunday, to his senior England call-up which now has him in line for an international debut, it’s been a whirlwind.
But as he likely prepares for his debut against either Brazil or Belgium it got us thinking, who will be the next United wonderkid to make their debut for England in the coming years?
Ethan Williams
The oldest player on the list is Ethan Williams who at 18, is yet to get recognised by England at youth level, but this season he has enjoyed his best yet.
12 goals and seven assists for the left-sided forward across various youth levels have left fans itching to see him get a chance in Erik ten Hag‘s team as the season draws to a close.
While being the oldest, he is probably the player with the least likely chance of getting a call-up, but if this season is anything to go off, that could soon change as he definitely deserves an U18 or U20 call-up.
One to keep an eye on for United fans as he is a very exciting talent and he’s now showing that more and more.
Harry Amass
17-year-old left-back Harry Amass has just signed his first professional contract at Old Trafford and is a regular with the England U17s.
Arguably one of the country’s biggest talents in his position, Amass has an incredible future ahead of him which seems destined to see him become an England international.
With injury woes in the left-back position for Ten Hag, Amass’ breakthrough could come sooner than expected and we could even see some cameos at some point this season or next.
With England having an ageing left-back department, the next few years could see Amass stake his claim to be Luke Shaw‘s long-term successor at club and country level.
Elyh Harrison
18-year-old goalkeeper Elyh Harrison is a very interesting prospect for United and has the raw qualities that could see him evolve into Andre Onana‘s successor.
His distribution is very impressive both long and short along with being capable of stepping out and being the modern goalkeeper in possession, he’s extremely composed on the ball.
Not to mention his shot-stopping is also decent, but with goalkeepers, they do tend to take longer to reach their potential and so Harrison has time.
A regular for United at both U18 and U21 level, Harrison is also capped by both England U18 and U19 which should suggest he’s someone that is expected to be of that quality in the future.
Shea Lacey
He may have been injured the past few months, but Shea Lacey will be back soon and with his return to action, the conversations around his brilliance will resume.
Lacey is one of the nation’s top prospects and at 16, he’s capped by the England U17 set-up for whom he has been capped five times and scored three goals and also made three assists.
Lacey has performed for United this season at the U18 level, prior to his five-month injury lay-off, while also featuring in the UEFA Youth League.
Lacey is a special talent and if he manages to develop in the manner that many expect, he is a shoo-in to be England’s next Phil Foden, and the next big breakout attacking star at Old Trafford in the next two seasons.
Bendito Mantato
The final name on the list is a player who has only just turned 16, Bendito Mantato, the wonderkid who bagged four goals for the U18s last weekend and has been tipped to be fast-tracked into the senior team.
Mantato is another sublime talent and is a testament to Carrington as he has already made his U21 debut despite being five years younger than the level limit.
Already capped for the U15s and having played four U16 friendlies, he is a very exciting player who is native to the right wing like Lacey.
This makes the probability of at least one making it likely, and Mantato has just as good a chance as his teammate.