Kobbie Mainoo made his England debut against Brazil at Wembley to further underline Manchester United’s contribution to the national game.
Manchester United have the best academy in English football of all time. That is not merely opinion, that is an absolute fact.
Kobbie Mainoo made his international debut against Brazil, completing 20 of 20 passes attempted in a composed substitute display.
At just 18, this was the latest milestone in an impressive career so far, and he is only just getting started. The FA Youth Cup winner has made a rapid progression into the Red Devils first team, and now could be involved at Euro 2024 too.
Manchester United academy contributions to England success
Manchester United have historically contributed to England’s success. The Three Lions have only won one World Cup, in 1966, with two Red Devils academy graduates featuring.
The legendary Sir Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles were two United talents who featured famously in England lifting the Jules Rimet trophy 58 years ago.
England might have enjoyed greater success if not for the Munich disaster in 1958. Duncan Edwards, Tommy Taylor and Roger Byrne were all regulars for England when they died. Mark Jones and David Pegg were also capped by England, perishing in the disaster with their best years ahead of them.
Most teenagers to play for England
Manchester United are the first club to register 10 teenagers to play for England. Of these, six came through the academy.
- Duncan Edwards
- Phil Neville
- Wes Brown
- Marcus Rashford
- Mason Greenwood
- Kobbie Mainoo
Three of these, Marcus Rashford in 2016, Mason Greenwood in 2020 and Kobbie Mainoo in 2024, have all been called into the England squad to make debuts as teenagers over the past eight years.
That’s quite remarkable, considering only three had done so in the first 138 years of club history, from 1878 to 2016, prior to the past eight years.
It goes to prove the Carrington training base and academy staff, and scouting department are doing something really special. And there are more potential teenage England debutants who could follow, if they can make a successful breakthrough at club level.
The four other Manchester United teenagers to represent England were signed from other clubs.
- Lee Sharpe – signed from Torquay United
- Wayne Rooney – signed from Everton
- Phil Jones – signed from Blackburn Rovers
- Luke Shaw – signed from Southampton
This itself is testament to United’s sway and ability to recognise top talent and attract them to the club. Luke Shaw is the only player in England history to score a goal in a European Championship final for his country.
The club which follows Manchester United next with the most teenage England players is Arsenal, with six. However, of these six, not all came through their academy, with Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both signed from Southampton for substantial fees, for instance.
This means that purely on academy developed players alone, Manchester United still stand out alone as the best in English football at supplying teenage international debutants, with Kobbie Mainoo the latest.
Manchester United players feature more for England than any other club
Manchester United don’t quite have the record of most England players of all time – but their call-ups have played the most games.
Prior to this set of internationals, Tottenham Hotspur had supplied the most with 79, with United on 70, per England Football Online. However, in terms of different international scorers for the Three Lions, both clubs are level on 33.
And most importantly, in terms of total appearances, it is quality over quantity. United lead the pack. Prior to the Brazil game, 1,403 appearances were made for England by Manchester United players.
Liverpool follow with 1,194, with Tottenham third on 1,094. Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire all featured at Wembley at the weekend, to bump United’s numbers up further.