Inside story of Kobbie Mainoo's stratospheric rise to the England squad

Kobbie Mainoo was preparing for a trip to Baku on Tuesday when he was told to stay put in Burton-on-Trent.

Instead of playing for England Under 21s in a Euro 2025 qualifier in far-flung Azerbaijan, Manchester United’s rising star has been promoted to train with the seniors at St George’s Park and is looking forward to a potential full international debut against Brazil at Wembley on Saturday.

So Mainoo has been fast-tracked through another stage of his development as a footballer. It’s something the affable young man from Stockport, who doesn’t turn 19 until next month, has grown quite accustomed to by now.

His short career is the story of a gifted boy who has cleared every obstacle put in front of him by some distance. He has transitioned seamlessly into United’s first team during a breakthrough season to the point that he is now an automatic choice under Erik ten Hag. England — or Brazil for that matter — should be no sweat for him, either.

What separates Mainoo from so many players of the same age is his personality: utterly unflappable on and off the pitch, and humble, too.

He may have upgraded to a club issue Mercedes A-Class and BMW 4x4 this season, but he still parks at the front of United’s training ground instead of round the back where the first-team stars leave their fleet of sports cars.

Then Mainoo walks the long way through the building to the senior dressing room having only acquired a locker there in January, despite making his debut in the Carabao Cup against Charlton a year earlier.

When a lot of the players leave Carrington after training, Mainoo will have lunch almost every day with his close friend and team-mate Alejandro Garnacho, having both risen from the Under 18s.

The fact that his favourite dish is