Mark Goldbridge: It's ridiculous to say Kobbie Mainoo is “the next big thing”… but he's got a bit of Zinedine Zidane in him

Mark Goldbridge has urged pundits and fans to calm down over Manchester United's teenage ace Kobbie Mainoo.

The 18-year-old is on his way to stardom after a surprising breakthrough into the Red Devils first team and senior England squad.

The young midfielder made an impressive appearance off the bench in England's 1-0 defeat to Brazil last week, earning his first start for the Three Lions in their next match, a 2-2 draw with Belgium.

He even played a key role in England's first goal in that match, while he has contributed two goals in 20 appearances for united man this season.

It has been a rapid rise for the teenager, who only made his first start for United in November, and now many tipping him for a place in Gareth Southgate's squad for Euro 2024 and follow in Jude Bellingham's footsteps to become one of the best young players in the world.

But United fan and YouTube presenter Goldbridge insists all the talk about Mainoo's superstar future is too premature, admitting there are plenty of former Red Devils wonderkids who failed to fulfill their potential.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Goldbridge said of the young midfielder: “Considering he started playing in United's first team in the autumn, it's been an incredible journey and everything has gone well, really.

“But United fans will tell you that not every game he has played has been good. I remember the Aston Villa away game and he really struggled against Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey, but that's part of the process and United fans are well versed in this, there will be games where he won't be as good – Alejandro Garnacho had it, that's what. just a part of the parenting process.

“I think that at United his potential and his ceiling are unknown, there are many obstacles.

“I remember that a few years ago we had Anthony Martial, Mark Rashford and Mason Greenwood, and if you look at where they finished, I don't think any of those players hit where they thought, for a number of reasons.

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“Football is like that, you just don't know what it's going to be like: off-field problems, injuries, loss of form.

“It's ridiculous that people say Kobbie Mainoo It's going to be the 'next big thing' because we just don't know. “He needs the right people around him, he needs to stay injury free and continue to develop.”

Goldbridge admits, however, that Mainoo has something special about him.

And he even compared his swashbuckling, fearless style of play to that of some of football's great mavericks: Zinedine ZidanePaul Gascoigne and Pablo Pogba .

“What he does have is something really unique, which we saw even in his appearances in England, and that is the ability to not only pass and tackle but also take on people,” Goldbridge added.

“In modern football that is a rarity. Everyone's game is very structured, it's about passing between the lines, but what we saw with England's first goal, when Mainoo picks up the ball and passes it to a couple of players and suddenly there's space for Bellingham to play.

“That's what's exciting about Mainoo: his profile as a midfielder who can really carry the ball makes him stand out.

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“I think that's why there's so much enthusiasm around him, because there aren't many players in world football who do that.

“If he can develop that way, you will almost have a Zidane or Gascoigne type player, a Pogba type player.

“I'm not saying he's going to reach those levels, but someone who can really take on people from midfield, and that's a game-changer.”