WITH the ‘boring, boring Southgate’ brigade in full cry after defeat by Brazil, there’s a chance for England’s manager to be seriously bold.
To start the 18-year-old Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo alongside Declan Rice in midfield against Belgium tomorrow night.
It’s far more likely that Gareth Southgate will revert to type and select Jordan Henderson, if the Ajax skipper is fit, or otherwise pick Conor Gallagher again despite the Chelsea man’s underwhelming display against Brazil.
Southgate is certain about nine out of 11 starting places for the Euros opener against Serbia on June 16 – and we can make that ten if Luke Shaw regains fitness from a muscle injury in time.
Barring injuries or any spectacular late-season nosedives in form, Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane will line up against the Serbs.
But there is a gaping hole alongside Rice in central midfield.
And Southgate, who only promoted Mainoo from the Under-21s because of a minor injury to Henderson, is sceptical about the United kid filling the void.
His two long-term favourites for that role have been Henderson and Kalvin Phillips.
But Phillips is horribly out of form on loan at West Ham, while Henderson – who turns 34 during the tournament – semi-retired in Saudi Arabia last summer only to perform U-turn and head to Amsterdam.
Southgate has made it clear after that his Plan A for these two friendlies was to start Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Rice in midfield only for the Liverpool man to be ruled out with a knee injury.
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Alexander-Arnold has regularly played a dual role with his club – at right-back when Liverpool are out of possession but moving into midfield when they have the ball – but he has hardly ever started in the centre of the park.
The Scouser was at Wembley on Saturday to meet up with the squad, as did fellow injury absentee Shaw.
But Southgate will not be able to try Alexander-Arnold in midfield role until two low-key warm-up fixtures against Bosnia and Iceland in June.
Mainoo made his debut as a 75th-minute replacement for Gallagher in Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Brazil – England‘s first defeat since the 2022 World Cup.
But while Southgate complimented the United youngster on ‘a couple of composed moments that were a bit of an indication of what he might become’, he does not sound willing to start him against the Belgians.
Southgate referred to Mainoo ‘dipping his toe’ and suggested that he would not have featured at all against Brazil unless he’d felt the need to keep Gallagher fresh for a possible start against Belgium.
This suggests Mainoo – impressive as a regular starter for United for the last four months – remains an outsider for a place in the 23-man squad for Germany.
This is a shame because, more than any other candidate, Mainoo possesses the defensive abilities to operate as the ‘number six’, allowing Rice to get forward more – as he does with such success for Premier League leaders Arsenal.
We are at the stage where we are noticing all of the things the emerging Mainoo can do – especially his quick feet in tight areas – whereas an England manager must also consider the attributes he still needs to hone, such as positional play.
But an audition against Belgium would be a decent way of finding out how close Mainoo is to starting in this summer’s tournament.
Southgate has been bold with trusting talented teenagers before – most notably with Bellingham and Jadon Sancho – yet there is greater reluctance with Mainoo, especially given the increased need for experience and wisdom in a defensive midfield role.
Instead, there are likely to be groans if Henderson, or Gallagher, start against Belgium.
Yet Southgate cares even less than ever about the court of public opinion, given that these Euros will almost certainly represent his swansong after eight years as England boss.
As for the other problem position, at left-back, Southgate needs an alternative for Shaw, who is unlikely to prove his full fitness before Germany.
Ben Chilwell was unimpressive at Shaw’s understudy on Saturday and so Kieran Trippier, a right-back who has often filled in on the left, is the most likely to start there against Serbia – especially given the Newcastle man’s set-piece prowess.
