England star Kobbie Mainoo has been compared to Spanish icons Xavi and Sergio Busquets ahead of the Three Lions' friendly clash with Brazil on Saturday.
The 18-year-old is in line to feature in the clash at Wembley, having been called up to the senior squad by manager Gareth Southgate.
Mainoo has impressed for Manchester United amid a turbulent season under Erik ten Hag.
The teenager is considered a generational talent over at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag enthused by his displays and what they mean for the future.
Xavi and Sergio Busquets are considered two of the best players of their generation
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And former United star Louis Saha, speaking to Betfred, has now compared Mainoo to Barcelona greats Xavi and Busquets.
"Yes, I hope so," he said when asked if the youngster has the potential to become a Premier League great in the coming years ahead.
"There are good signs that this could be the case, but he still needs to improve physically.
"On the ball, he's got a bit of a mix of Xavi [Hernández] and Sergio Busquets about him when he goes forward, but he doesn’t necessarily have the body of a Marouane Fellaini or Paul Pogba.
“Kobbie has shown that he can play well consistently and people can play around him, so it’s very good to have a player of his talent and he’s capable of playing under pressure and providing the wingers with the opportunity to compete in one-on-one situations.
"Hopefully he can continue to improve over the next few years.”
Saha has also hailed Mainoo for his composure, insisting the 18-year-old is also similar to United icon Paul Scholes.
“I have seen that he can adapt," continued the Frenchman, who won two Premier League titles at Old Trafford.
"He is that kind of player where he has the qualities to remain very calm and composed.
"When he has the opportunity to recover the ball, he does. He’s maybe not as big physically as someone like Marouane Fellaini, but as I’ve said, he can recover those balls and he can use it really effectively and that is so precious.
“In the last few years of his career, Paul Scholes was able to drop deeper into the midfield and go forward less because he was smart enough to be in the right areas at the right time.
"Kobbie has that same positional awareness. He’s very aware of where his teammates are and he doesn’t panic, so these are great qualities to have at his age.
“To provide this kind of reassurance to the manager is great and that’s why I think he’s playing regularly because he’s very composed and he’s improving game to game.
"I think Kobbie playing in defensive midfield when Casemiro isn’t there is possible as he’s capable of adapting.”
It remains to be seen if Mainoo will start for England against Brazil on Saturday night.
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England star Kobbie Mainoo has been hailed by Louis Saha ahead of Brazil friendly clash
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England will, however, be eager to beat Brazil to send out a statement ahead of Euro 2024 this summer.
The two teams last met back in November 2017.
But that match ended goalless, with neither side able to break the deadlock.
Mainoo, meanwhile, has spoken out ahead of the fixture.
And the United star has revealed he was 'shocked and happy' after learning he'd been drafted in to Southgate's squad.
Kobbie Mainoo has been a positive for Man Utd amid a difficult season under Erik ten Hag
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"I was shocked and happy," Mainoo told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It's been a whirlwind of emotions, a pretty mad couple of days."
He added: "I had to adapt quickly to the Premier League. Obviously, it's very demanding physically, and also mentally, so it's been tough.
"But I feel like I've found my feet a bit now and I'm enjoying it.
"The games have been coming so fast at United but now I'm here [with England], obviously I am taking it all in and it's been amazing."
