Gareth Southgate is seriously considering including Kobbie Mainoo in England's last-16 match against Slovakia on Sunday, sources have told ESPN.
The 19-year-old appeared as a half-time substitute against Slovenia in England's final match in Group C and, although the match ended 0-0, Mainoo helped instigate a better display in the second period.
Southgate has been searching for the right balance in midfield after trying Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and then Chelsea's Conor Gallagher alongside Arsenal's Declan Rice with limited success in the group stage before turning to Mainoo.
If the Manchester United midfielder starts in Gelsenkirchen, it would be only his sixth international cap and the latest step in a dramatic rise since making his Premier League debut in November.
Southgate is under pressure to put in a better display after England won just one game and scored just two goals en route to the top of Group C.
The England manager confirmed in a pre-match press conference on Saturday that Luke Shaw would not be fit enough to start the game against Slovakia, but could play some role off the bench if his medical team deem him fit as he continues to overcome a Hamstring problem. that he has left the United defender out since February.
Southgate is expected to resist radical changes to his line-up and Mainoo is likely to be the only change, although Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer are pushing hard for places after lively substitute cameos against Slovenia. The winner will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
