The teenager’s ability to gently play his way out of difficulty sets him apart from the other competitors for the spot next to Declan Rice.

It was the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, Leonardo Bonucci had equalised for Italy, and England had lost their narrow lead from Luke Shaw’s early goal, as well as the visceral energy that had propelled them in the first half.

They needed to be astute and find a method to retake the lead. But all they could do was throw long balls at the wings and Harry Kane. That was exactly what Roberto Mancini’s team wanted them to accomplish. Bonucci and his partner-in-crime, Giorgio Chiellini, ate up the long balls, while Bukayo Saka was thrown to the ground when he tried to outrun them.

The exhausted England players could only pass the ball side to side or long, and it became evident that their best chance was to play for penalties, where they were humiliatingly defeated. What they really needed at the time was a player who could ignore the pressure of the big occasion, as well as the fact that 50 million people were watching at home and in bars, and take hold of the ball and make things happen.

In essence, all they needed was Kobbie Mainoo. At the time, the Manchester United midfielder was 16 years old and still attending school. However, he is now a member of the England team and will compete in the European Championship. And he shouldn’t simply be along for the journey; he should start each game.

More control, more accuracy

Just compare Gallagher’s statistics to Mainoo’s in the March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. Gallagher played 75 minutes against Brazil and had 48 touches. He attempted 30 passes and completed 25 of them, giving him an 83 percent pass accuracy percentage.

Mainoo replaced him, and in under a quarter of an hour, plus stoppage time, he took 21 touches and completed 20 passes, completing every single one of them and exiting the pitch with perfect passing accuracy.

Mainoo took over from Gallagher for the following game against Belgium, also playing 75 minutes, and was one among the star performances. He had 56 touches, made 46 passes, and completed 41, for an 89% passing accuracy.

Mainoo did not play against Bosnia because he had not yet entered the camp, having been given a few days off after playing and starring in United’s FA Cup final win against Manchester City.