The teenager's ability to calmly play his way out of trouble sets him apart from his fellow contenders for the position next to Declan Rice

It was the European Championship final at Wembley, Leonardo Bonucci had equalised for Italy and England had lost their slender advantage from Luke Shaw's early goal, as well as the visceral energy that had fuelled them in the first half.

They needed to be intelligent and find a way to regain the lead. But all they could do was launch long balls towards the wings and Harry Kane. That was exactly what Roberto Mancini's side want them to do. Bonucci and his partner-in-crime Giorgio Chiellini ate up the long balls, while when Bukayo Saka tried to out-run the latter, he was hurled to the floor.

The drained England players could only pass the ball side to side or go long, and it became clear that their best hope was to play for penalties, where they were agonisingly beaten. What they desperately needed then was a player who could shrug off the pressure of the big occasion, the knowledge of 50 million people watching at home and in the pubs, and take hold of the ball and make things happen with it.

In essence, what they needed was Kobbie Mainoo. Back then, the Manchester United midfielder was 16 and still in school. But now he is in the England team and going to the European Championship. And he should not just be going along for the ride; he should be starting every game.

GettySouthgate's biggest conundrum

The biggest selection decision facing Gareth Southgate heading into Euro 2024 is selecting who to partner Declan Rice with in midfield. Kalvin Phillips was Rice's partner at the last Euros and their partnership in the double-pivot took England to the brink of glory. But Phillips' career has gone downhill since then due to a combination of injuries and an ill-fated move to Manchester City, and he was left out of the preliminary squad for the tournament. So too was Jordan Henderson, who took Phillips' place for most of the World Cup in Qatar.

With Curtis Jones joining James Maddison in being cut from the final, 26-man squad, there are four primary candidates to partner Rice: Mainoo, Conor Gallagher, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Wharton. There is also the option of selecting Cole Palmer from the start, and moving Jude Bellingham back alongside Rice. All offer different qualities, as well as weaknesses.

"That is the unknown," Southgate said this week. "Obviously, with Gallagher, with Mainoo, even with Wharton you know exactly what they can and what they can’t do. None of these players can do everything, so you are trying to work out what is the right balance. Obviously, Declan is going to be in there so what is the balance with him? That could be different for different games."

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesGallagher can't slow down

Right now, Gallagher appears to be in pole position to sit next to Rice in the midfield. He partnered the Arsenal midfielder against Brazil in March, when Southgate last fielded his strongest team, injuries permitting. And he started against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Monday, when he gave another eye-catching performance.

Eye-catching in the real sense, because it is impossible to ignore Gallagher, even in a friendly game that tests the attention span. Gallagher relishes flying into tackles and charging at opponents. He is a fan-favourite in that sense, a workhorse who will never shirk a challenge and will give their all.

Although he has other qualities and is still tidy in possession while being productive in attack, Gallagher is in many ways a classic England midfielder. To dig up that old cliche, he is someone you would want to have next to you in the trenches.

But as the late footballer Michael Robinson once said, football isn't played in a trench. And while Gallagher provides an ever-reliable engine, he sometimes does not know when to slow down. He goes at his own pace, which tends to be 100-miles-per-hour. And in knockout games of high tension, that is not what England need.

GettyMore control, more accuracy

Just contrast Gallagher's statistics with Mainoo's in the March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. Gallagher played 75 minutes against Brazil, taking 48 touches. He made 30 passes, 25 of which he completed, giving him a pass accuracy rate of 83 percent.

Mainoo replaced him and in just a quarter of an hour, plus stoppage-time, he took 21 touches and made 20 passes, completing every single one of them, leaving the pitch with 100% passing accuracy.

Mainoo took the baton from Gallagher for the next game against Belgium, also playing 75 minutes, and was one of the standout performers. He took 56 touches, made 46 passes while completing 41, posting 89% passing accuracy.

Mainoo then did not feature against Bosnia as he had not yet joined up with the camp, having been given a few days extra rest after playing, and starring, in United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

Getty Master-minding City's downfall

Had the teenager played against Bosnia, it is easy to imagine he would have left Gallagher in the shade. After all, he had just helped United do what no other team could do for almost six months and beat City. United were also the first side to beat a team containing Rodri for more than a year. Rodri is widely regarded as the best holding midfielder in the world, but at Wembley, Mainoo outshone him.

Against City, Mainoo scored one of the great FA Cup final team goals, starting and finishing a sublime, flowing move. His finish inside the area summed him up; where many players would have put their foot through the ball and risked sending it over the bar, Mainoo simply guided it past Stefan Ortega. His finish summed up his whole performance: calm, controlled, subtle and exactly what was needed. It was the complete opposite of what one expects from Gallagher.

Another argument in Mainoo's favour in his battle with Gallagher is the fact that Chelsea are trying to sell their midfielder. The Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and the fact that the club could put the sale of homegrown Gallagher down as 'pure profit' might be a motivating factor, but it does not speak highly of Chelsea's valuation of him.

United are governed by the same rules and are also close to the limit on PSR, but Mainoo is one of just three players that the club have insisted will not be for sale this summer. United do not see their homegrown treasure as cash cow; they see him as the club's very future.