Kobbie Mainoo reveals nickname given to him by Man Utd KITMAN which has stuck since breaking into England squad

KOBBIE MAINOO has revealed the nickname given to him by the Manchester United kitman which has stuck since he joined up with the England team.

The midfielder, 18, has been a revelation for Erik ten Hag’s men this season and is already one of the Red Devils’ most crucial players.

His impressive performances earned him a late England call-up earlier this week and he could feature in either Saturday’s clash with Brazil or Tuesday’s game against Belgium.

Upon his link-up with the national team, Mainoo conducted a “First Impressions” video alongside Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon.

And the first question was about whether he had a nickname.

At first, he insisted it was simply “Kobs,” before he later recalled it was in fact “Love Island”.

This is in reference to his brother Jordan Hames – who appeared on the reality TV show back in 2019.

Mainoo said: “My brother was on it [Love Island]. I’m close to him. 

“You know what, going back to another question – my nickname.

“The kit man at United always called me ‘Love Island’. [He’s been doing so] since I was like 16.”

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Mainoo was then quizzed as to whether that was due to his “smooth talking”.

To which he replied: “No, it’s not even that. They’re just jokers.”

Jordan now works in fashion and has taken to the catwalk as a model for Vogue, Louis Vuitton and other esteemed brands.

Meanwhile, Mainoo is preparing for a potential England debut in the next few days.

Ian Wright is a big fan and last week criticised manager Gareth Southgate for initially leaving Mainoo out of the squad.

However, the Three Lions boss was asked about Mainoo’s exclusion and replied by hinting he was not far away from a call-up.

Southgate said: “There are some players who are doing exceptionally well, the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Harvey Elliott, Rico Lewis. Archie Gray is doing really well at Leeds.

“I think [Mainoo] is doing brilliantly for a young player.

“We’re never slow to put a young player into the seniors but he’s only had a handful of games, so you have to be very careful.

“We feel we should give him the space to develop at his own speed.

“But he’s having some wonderful experiences at Manchester United and seems a very good character.”

Now he has been called up, he will compete against the likes of Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Conor Gallagher, Jude Bellingham and James Maddison for a starting place.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk