Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo impressed on his full England debut against Belgium at Wembley on Tuesday night

Alejandro Garnacho hailed Kobbie Mainoo as “simply incredible” after the Manchester United midfielder was named Man of the Match on his full England debut.

The 18-year-old was handed his first start for the Three Lions in a 2-2 friendly draw with Belgium at Wembley on Tuesday night, three days after marking his international debut with a late cameo against Brazil.

The midfielder, who was born in Stockport and signed for United at the age of nine, was afforded a standing ovation by those packed inside Wembley Stadium when he was replaced by Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison in the 74th minute.

Taking to Instagram after the game, Mainoo, who was heavily involved in the passage of play that led to Ivan Toney winning and later scoring a penalty in the first half, celebrated his first camp with the Three Lions by uploading a collection of photographs from the international break.

Mainoo captioned the post “#1280,” in reference to the fact he is the 1,280th player to represent England. His United team-mate Garnacho, who was part of the same 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning side as Mainoo, commented “simply incredible” as the Argentine and other players from across the Premier League heaped praise on the 18-year-old.

Declan Rice, who captained the Three Lions on Tuesday night, added: “Levels! See you soon,” while United youngsters Ethan Ennis and Charlie McNeill also added their congratulations.

Asked about Mainoo’s performance after the game, England manager Gareth Southgate said: “Everything that we’ve seen with his club, he reproduced in an England shirt which isn’t always the case.

“He was very calm, receives the ball so well under pressure, strong, so we are a little bit more open playing that way but the benefits with the ball were clear to see.”