In England’s 2-1 Round of 16 victory over Slovakia, Kobbie Mainoo shown maturity beyond his years with a performance that ’embarrassed’ his more experienced teammates.

At 19 years old, the Manchester United star became the third youngest English player to start a major tournament after Gareth Southgate gave him a tap on the shoulder for the encounter in Gelsenkirchen.

He was outstanding in the middle of the pitch alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, and analysts and past players were quick to compliment the youngster.

Former England international Jay Bothroyd praised the youngster’s performance on the biggest platform of his career thus far.

“Mainoo played quite well. He was at ease on the ball and maintained his composure,” he stated on Optus Sport’s post-match report.

“Even further up the pitch, he slid into the box and won fouls on the edge of it.

“I believe he will start the next game despite the fact that he came off – possibly due to fatigue.

“He was a top, top performer tonight.”

He was completely correct, illustrating the age-old adage that if you are good enough, you are old enough.

Mainoo did not appear to be a 19-year-old playing his debut match for England in a major tournament.

Following a good season-ending performance for United, he shone in their FA Cup victory over arch rivals City, producing a goal that many regarded as one of the best they’d ever seen on one of England football’s grandest stages.

After going on at half-time to replace Conor Gallagher in England’s dreary 0-0 draw with Slovenia to end the group stage, many fans wanted Mainoo to start in the Round of 16.

And it has proven to be one of Southgate’s only correct judgments in the tournament thus far.

Statistics aren’t always a reliable indicator of a player’s performance on the field, but they are in this case.

Mainoo completed 65 of 68 passes (the highest accuracy of any player who began the game), had 77 touches, two shoots, one chance, won all of his duels, and finished 100% of his dribbles.

Roy Keane, United’s heartbeat for 12 years in the position Mainoo is attempting to perfect, was impressed by the teenager and supported him to continue to flourish in an England shirt despite the immense pressure.

“You see the stuff he (Mainoo) is doing, I played in that position, but he’s doing stuff that probably took me 10 years to learn,” he stated on British television.

“He certainly had a solid foundation at Manchester United, and he’s developing excellent habits in these big games.

“When you’re playing for Man United every game is a big game, so he’ll cope with all that (pressure).”

Stan Collymore, a Premier League icon, went even farther in his admiration for Mainoo, saying his performance was so excellent it was ’embarrassing’ to his more senior teammates.

“Kobbie Mainoo is embarrassing his teammates,” he posted on social media during halftime.

“If even three matched their club form, the energy, ambition, and passion of this child, there could yet be hope… horrible, genuinely awful.

“I don’t like to say anything, but one or two prominent names appear to be hiding. Gordon, Watkins, Palmer, and others, turn them on.”

England’s midfield has been sorely lacking in a progressive midfielder who isn’t scared to take risks this tournament.

Mainoo’s ability to contribute in the final third – he made seven passes in this match – added a new dimension to a team that had previously moved the ball around like a training warm-up for much of the tournament.

Former Socceroo Tommy Oar was critical of England’s lack of conviction with the ball.

“There is no real purpose to their passes… it’s very sluggish, very slow,” the A-League legend told Optus Sport after the game.

“I would like to see changes in their mindset, I think they need to be more positive with the ball.”

“England has shown a distinct lack of conviction on both offense and defense.

“Everything they are doing is really reactive … they are a team without confidence.”

England has seven days to respond on the training pitch after yet another lethargic performance in this tournament.

They’ll face a well-drilled Switzerland team in the quarter-finals, which will be far more difficult.