Kobbie Mainoo has reportedly been targeted by the Ghana Football Association over a possible change of allegiance on the international stage.
The Manchester United star has recently burst onto the scene with a number of performances for Erik ten Hag’s team that belie his youth and understandably attracted a lot of attention.
His performances of late have earned him plenty of plaudits and after scoring a dramatic 97th-minute winner against Wolves on Thursday, he was called ‘a generational talent’ by team-mate Rasmus Hojlund.
Another teammate, Bruno Fernandes, was also quick to sing the praises, claiming he noticed Mainoo’s ability ‘two or three years ago’, and now the Ghana Football Association is starting to take notice too.
A member of the Ghana FA told The Times that they are already eyeing Mainoo and are ‘interested’ in convincing him to ditch the Three Lions for the African giants.
Kobbie Mainoo’s performances of late have caught the attention of the Ghana Football Association
Gareth Southgate will certainly have been keeping an eye on the youngster’s rise at United
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“The Ghana Football Association is interested in monitoring, attracting and recruiting all eligible talents for its various national teams,” said Randy Abbey, of the Ghana FA Executive Council.
“Kobbie is absolutely one of such incredible talents, and the Association will be delighted to work with him, and many like him at home and abroad.”
The player has represented England at three different youth levels to date and has won six caps at Under-19 level. However, he is yet to make his senior debut, something the English FA and Gareth Southgate will surely know.
Given his impressive performances for United of late, he could start to put pressure on Southgate to include him in his senior team.
With the Three Lions in action at the European Championship later this year, a string of similarly strong performances could earn him an outside chance of a call-up.
Mail Sport reported in November that the FA were confident of retaining Mainoo.
Ghana may look to rebuild after a poor performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Chris Hughton’s side failed to progress beyond the group stage, resulting in the former Brighton boss being sacked.
Chris Hughton was sacked as Ghana boss after his side’s poor performance at AFCON
Mainoo scored a stunning winner in the 97th minute of the match to seal all three points
It was the teenager’s first ever goal in the Premier League after scoring in the FA Cup last weekend
After scoring a stunner to seal a 4-3 win over Wolves on Thursday evening, the player admitted: ‘It’s a dream come true in such a difficult place.
“They hit a good home run here, so we needed the win, but I still can’t get rid of it. I still feel like I’m dreaming to be honest, so you’ll just have to give me some time!’
‘It was great to play in the Premier League for my boyhood club.
“Now I just want to have a good run of games and keep winning games, keep winning games and get a little bit of momentum going.”