Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento has revealed his amazement at witnessing something extraordinary from Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo during England’s training sessions.
Mainoo and his England teammates are preparing to make history this summer as they compete in the World Cup across North America.
The young midfielder, along with Marcus Rashford—who spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Barcelona—are the only Manchester United players included in the England squad. Their selection comes after the surprising omissions of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.
Although this will be Mainoo’s first World Cup appearance, he is no stranger to major international tournaments. He played a crucial role for Gareth Southgate’s side at Euro 2020, featuring in the final defeat to Spain.
Earlier in the season, Mainoo’s place in the England squad appeared uncertain as he struggled for regular minutes under then-Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. For reasons known only to him, Amorim consistently overlooked Mainoo, often preferring the less inspiring Manuel Ugarte in midfield.
The Carrington academy graduate seemed destined to leave Old Trafford in the January transfer window, but the arrival of Michael Carrick as Amorim’s successor completely changed his trajectory. Under Carrick, Mainoo started in all but one of the 17 Premier League matches.
Recently, Mainoo publicly expressed his gratitude to Carrick for helping him regain form and secure his place in the national team setup.
Judging by Livramento’s comments, the 21-year-old midfielder has been catching eyes within the England camp.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Lions’ Den connected by EE, Livramento was asked to describe a moment in training that particularly impressed him.
The Newcastle full-back said, “One thing that really stood out was seeing Kobbie play two-touch.”
He added, “He’s incredible at it. He’ll be passing or flicking the ball with his ankle, and it’s just so smooth to watch.”
England will next take to the pitch on Wednesday in a friendly match against Costa Rica before beginning their World Cup campaign against Croatia the following week.
