Expected split of England and Spain fans at Olympic Stadium for Euro 2024 final could hand major advantage to one side

AND we all thought England had just the one generational talent.

Kobbie Mainoo was effectively brought to Germany as a work experience kid but has emerged as the key kid behind this country’s attempt to rewrite history.

After just five senior starts, England’s new boy wonder will now have a teenage tear-up against Spain’s Lamine Yamal in the Euro 2024 final.

Last night, he did not merely become England’s youngest ever player to feature in a semi-final of a major tournament, aged 19 years and 82 days.

Here, he took this semi-final by the scruff of the neck, delivered a performance which was a joy to watch, particularly in the first half, and now England are in their first final on foreign soil.

If Jude Bellingham thought he was certain to be England’s main posterboy over the next decade, he has someone else who has now emerged in his rear-view mirror within just a few weeks.

To bag an FA Cup winners’ medal at the age of 19 was impressive. To then win Euro 2024 a couple of months later would be extraordinary.

As we saw with Manchester United, Mainoo has now fitted seamlessly into the team and provided a perfect mix of both style and substance.

Give it a couple of years, and you can only imagine how good this lad is going to be.

For much of this tournament, the focus has been on the disappointing form of Harry Kane, Bellingham and Phil Foden.

So Mainoo, to a degree, had almost been off the radar. But against the Dutch, in tight, congested spaces, he is a class apart.

When he was put under pressure, remained cool, navigated his way out of difficult situations and drove forward.

Despite what was at stake, Mainoo once again looked extraordinarily composed and was England’s best player in the first half. He won possession, he rode tackles and he drove forward like an old master.

He nearly delivered an assist at 1-1 with some brilliant play. He received the ball from Foden, turned and drove forward before returning the ball to his team-mate but the shot was hacked off the line by Denzel Dumfries.

Mainoo delivered a terrific block to snuff out some serious danger in a lightning-quick Dutch counter attack.

In the second half, he had less space in midfield but nevertheless still had bags of energy and kept his discipline positionally – and then he let subs Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins deliver the business.

It is still mind-boggling that Mainoo is now heading to Berlin on Sunday, when you consider Mainoo only made his United debut against Charlton in the Carabao Cup in January 2023. His first Premier League start was just eight months ago.

Yet it was his dazzling midfield form in an otherwise dysfunctional United team which earned him his first cap as a substitute against Brazil in March. He was then Man of the Match in a ridiculously-good performance in the 2-2 draw with Belgium.

Mainoo’s form dipped in the last few weeks of the season. It was probably because he was knackered carrying some of his team-mates.

But he then saved them again in the FA Cup final against Manchester City with a Man of the Match performance in a 2-1 win.

A bit like Adam Wharton, he was part of England’s 26-man squad to soak up the experience, to learn what it is like to feature in a major tournament and maybe, if needed, to have a few cameo roles off the bench.

And the fact he was effectively Southgate’s third-choice to partner Declan Rice here in Germany tells you exactly where he stood in a squad of 26.

The Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield failed in the two opening games against Serbia and Denmark. Conor Gallagher – despite some bright performances as a sub in those games – really struggled in his start against Slovenia.

Apart from a strong appearance as a substitute by Palmer, Mainoo’s performance against Slovakia was the only bright spot in a dismal and extremely fortunate win over Slovakia in the last 16.

There was always a worry about Mainoo’s movement when England do not have possession but that will come with experience, like it would for any other central midfielder.

Yet Mainoo has solved the problem for Southgate and now England can continue to dream big. And it is totally unthinkable from where you consider how they played in the group stages when they stunk out Germany.

In Sunday’s final, England’s experienced players will be able to draw on the pain of both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.

For Mainoo, this will be a completely new experience but do not expect him to wilt. He’ll absolutely love it.

AFTER what has been a tough tournament of times, what an opportunity Gareth Southgate and his team will have to end in the best possible way, writes Jack Wilshere.

We might like a team that played better football. But it’s a results business.

Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and of course Holland would love to be where we are.

People will say we’re lucky because we’re on this side of the draw.

But we won the group. France didn’t and then ran into Spain.

You can say it wasn’t that pretty, but we’re there.

Gareth and his coaches won’t have been happy with some of the performances.

But I did like the way Gareth and his team have dealt with it.

There was no panic coming out of the camp.

Everyone gave the same message: ‘We know we can better, but we’re here still.’

And on Sunday they will be in Berlin to play Spain.

They will probably have to produce two halves of football as good as the first against Holland to beat them.

We have improved as the tournament has gone on and that is how you win things.

You want to peak in the final.

If Gareth can lead England to that major trophy we’ve all been waiting for, it will be the perfect answer to the critics and a brilliant day for us all.

Read Jack Wilshere’s England vs Holland verdict in full.

Or check out all of SunSport columnist Jack’s Euros 2024 opinions…