KID KOBBIE TIPPED FOR A FINE FUTURE

GARETH SOUTHGATE is convinced Kobbie Mainoo has the footballing world at his feet.

The teenage sensation (inset) capped his meteoric rise by making his Three Lions debut as a sub in the 1-0 defeat to Brazil on Saturday.

It came just four months after the midfielder had made his Premier League debut for Manchester United.

Mainoo, 18, is expected to start when England host Belgium at Wembley tonight.

And Southgate admits Mainoo has taken to international football like a duck to water.

He said: “You can see he is taking everything in. Talking to him tactically, he seems able to take all those concepts on.

“You can see he is comfortable with the ball and receiving it in tight areas.

“There are a lot of steps being taken in a very short period of time, but you saw in the brief cameo the other day some of by JEREMY CROSS the qualities he has. It is a beautiful, innocent moment when he is just in the flow. And lapping up the opportunities as they come.

“We are really happy to see how he has dealt with training and we see things he can bring already.” Declan Rice is also impressed with Mainoo and said: “Every time I’ve seen him playing for United on the TV, he has been pretty much their best player every game. “He’s really, really impressive. He’s at one of the biggest clubs in the world and now he’s at England, we just want to let him flourish. He’s so composed.

“I have come across so many 18-year-olds who are top players but don’t have that full package. “The sky is the limit for him. He’s an amazing player and I am looking forward to playing many games for England with him.”