Why Gareth Southgate is wasting his time watching Jordan Henderson and not Kobbie Mainoo

It may have been overlooked over the weekend but Jordan Henderson made his debut for Ajax on Saturday.

The 33-year-old left Al-Ettifaq after just six months in Saudi Arabia in a move that tarnished his reputation. One person who didn’t miss Ajax’s Eredivisie meeting with PSV, though, was England boss Gareth Southgate.

In attendance at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Southgate wouldn’t have seen anything he didn’t already know about Henderson, who was, as is to be expected, tidy in possession in the 1-1 draw. Southgate would have been better off saving his air miles and making the trip to Old Trafford instead.

While Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund stole the plaudits for their respective performances in front of goal, the 3-0 win over West Ham marked yet another solid display from Kobbie Mainoo in the middle of the park. Fresh from netting a late winner at Wolves on Thursday night, Mainoo put in another fine showing, this time alongside Casemiro, up until his withdrawal midway through the second half.

Injury in pre-season delayed Mainoo’s emergence on the scene but he’s quickly getting to speed with the demands of regular senior football and maximising his opportunity to nail down a regular spot in the United midfield, not just for the rest of the season; but for years to come. Southgate could do a lot worse that follow suit and bring the teenage into the Three Lions fold sooner rather than later.

Southgate is already well aware of what Henderson can do

Ghana are believed to be looking to sway the midfielder’s international allegiance. “The Ghana Football Association is interested in monitoring, attracting, and persuading all eligible talents for its various national teams. Kobbie is definitely one of these incredible talents,” Randy Abbey, a member of the executive council of the Ghana FA, said recently. Best act fast then, Gareth!

Having spent the bulk of Erik ten Hag’s first summer in charge at Old Trafford actively pursuing Frenkie de Jong, they should have taken one glance at the academy to realise they had a midfielder on the books who would actively seek possession from the defence and drive the team forward. Ten Hag saw sense ahead of his second full season only for Mainoo to sustain an ankle injury against Real Madrid over the summer. Where might United be now had he been fit for the entirety of the campaign?

Mainoo has been superb for Manchester United in recent weeks

The fact is, he’s the perfect midfielder to help drive United on. An average of 0.9 dribbles per 90 is modest but then you have to remember this is a midfielder in his breakout campaign, one who might be more willing to play a safe option rather than get bullied off the ball in such a key area of the pitch.

That he is being dispossessed just 0.9 times per 90 shows he can handle the physicality of England’s top tier, this despite only turning 18 last April. England do have players prepared to receive the ball from the defence but the standout in this category is Declan Rice, and he’s expected to anchor the midfield for the Three Lions this summer.

In England’s favoured three-man midfield, there is arguably a role for Mainoo in Southgate’s preferred 4-3-3 setup. Henderson only has one top-flight European game under his belt this season while Kalvin Phillips has looked rusty in his two West Ham appearances following his arrival from Manchester City. By comparison, Mainoo looks scalpel sharp.

On the ball, improvements are needed of course. England are a nation expected to dominate on the international stage but Mainoo has returned a pass success rate of just 85.3 per cent from 42.3 passes per 90 in the Premier League this season. This may be a reason why Southgate is reluctant to hand Mainoo international recognition just yet.

The England boss wants control in games, a quality to the teenage midfielder’s game that isn’t presently quite up to the standard of his more senior compatriots. Of course this will improve in time and there’s no doubt that Mainoo will become a fully fledged England international further down the line… provided Ghana don’t swoop for the United star first.

Gareth Southgate was in attendance at Jordan Henderson’s Ajax debut

Nevertheless, he’s proving the brain of this United midfield. While in an ideal world, Mainoo would have been eased into first-team action rather than thrown in at the deep and asked to sink or swim, of which he has done the latter.

The next logical step is international recognition, which is likely to come sooner rather than later. If Southgate had any sense about him he’d be focussing his efforts on the future rather than spending his time watching midfielders who’ll soon be part of the past.

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