Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has voiced his support for promising young talent Kobbie Mainoo. The current Plymouth manager made a bold statement, claiming that he would choose Mainoo over Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in England’s midfield.
Alexander-Arnold, who typically plays as a right-back, has expressed his desire to secure a starting position in the midfield for Euro 2024. However, Rooney believes that Mainoo would be a better fit for the role.
During an appearance on The Overlap, Rooney stated, “No. I have watched Trent play in midfield a few times and I think you lose a lot of his qualities. His delivery is obviously incredible and of course he can pick passes from midfield, but I think he has to fight it out [with Walker for the right-back spot].
“I know Kyle is the best right-back in the world at the minute but I think midfield is such an important position. I would play Mainoo before Trent in midfield, 100%.
“It’s not that Trent can’t play there, we saw him do it recently against Everton and some of the passes he was hitting were unbelievable.
“It’s probably only Becks [David Beckham] who beats him in that area. But I think to play in midfield, you need that discipline, especially when you come up against the bigger teams, and he might get found out a little bit.”
Rooney’s endorsement of Mainoo highlights the youngster’s potential and suggests that he could have a bright future ahead. It remains to be seen whether Alexander-Arnold will make the transition to midfield or continue excelling as a right-back.
