It is looking increasingly likely that Kobbie Mainoo will earn his first start at a major tournament, when England play Slovakia on Sunday.
Mainoo came off the bench at half-time in England's final group game against Slovenia on Tuesday as a replacement for Conor Gallagher, and Gareth Southgate spoke warmly after the match about the impact the Manchester United midfielder had. However, with two days to go until the knockout game, the England manager has yet to make his final decisions on team selection, and his habit is to only inform the players of the starting XI the night before the match.
Gallagher came on for him in Frankfurt, and kept his place in the starting XI against Slovenia in Cologne. The theory was that England needed the Chelsea player's understanding of the position, his impressive stamina, and ability to disrupt the opposition. But he was replaced at half-time in that game, because Southgate felt England weren't keeping the ball well enough, and were inviting pressure. Cue the entrance of Mainoo, for the second half.
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