It is ‘unrealistic’ to expect Kobbie Mainoo to turn around England’s woeful Euro 2024 campaign, Jamie Carragher has warned.
England have qualified for the knockout stage as Group C winners but only after another lacklustre performance in the goalless draw with Slovenia on Tuesday night.
Despite fierce criticism, Gareth Southgate would make just one change to his starting XI for the match – replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher.
While dropping the Liverpool star after his failed experiment to convert from right-back to midfielder was welcomed, there was apprehension over whether Chelsea’s Gallagher would bring much-needed stability and control to the Three Lions’ game.
The answer to that was a resounding no, with the 24-year-old hauled off at half-time and replaced by Mainoo, who put in a brilliant shift, winning 100 per cent of his tackles and completing all but one of his 34 passes.
Naturally, there is a great clamour for the 19-year-old to partner Declan Rice for the last-16 game on Sunday, but Carragher warns that while talented, the Manchester United starlet isn’t the quick fix supporters think he is.
‘When I hear fans or fellow pundits demanding more control in midfield, or observations that England need a Toni Kroos or Luka Modric profile of footballer, my immediate response is: Who do you mean?’ the former Liverpool and England star wrote for The Telegraph.
‘England do not have such a midfielder, and even when Paul Scholes was in his prime – the kind of midfielder everyone is talking about – we never controlled games.
‘That is why Southgate went with the Alexander-Arnold experiment in the first place. Now we are hoping youngsters such as Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton will instantly emerge and transform the make-up of the side.
But Southgate remained coy on what, if any, changes would be made, saying in his post-match press conference: ‘I think with him [Palmer] and Kobbie we had in our mind to get them into the game tonight, they offer something different.