Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton's statistics from the 2023/24 season have been compared ahead of England's Euro 2024 campaign - and there is a clear winner.
Mainoo is a leading contender to travel to Germany with the Three Lions squad, having impressed in his maiden international appearances against Brazil and Belgium during the recent international break.
Wharton, meanwhile, has been a Premier League revelation since arriving from Blackburn for £20 million in January - although regular Championship viewers have been long aware of his talents.
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And with Gareth Southgate's side lacking quality depth in midfield, fans are calling for the 20-year-old to receive a call-up for Euro 2024.
Mainoo and Wharton were on opposite sides as Palace thrashed United 4-0 on Monday evening, although little blame could be placed at the feet of 18-year-old Mainoo at Selhurst Park.
Now, using the Squawka Comparison Matrix, we've compared the two players based solely on their Premier League performances this season - so not including Wharton's time at Blackburn.
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In terms of the passing department, Mainoo leads comfortably in terms of passing accuracy and through balls, although Wharton is more accurate with his long passes.
Mainoo is also considerably stronger when it comes to take-on success and aerial duels, although Wharton is more proficient when it comes to ground duel success.
He has also recovered the ball only 14 times fewer than his United counterpart - despite playing seven games less.
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While Mainoo can be declared the winner in terms of this season's statistics, it is a small sample size available in terms of a comparison between both players - you can see how the pair compare using Wharton's Championship stats below.
And Southgate will no doubt have been impressed by Wharton's performance as he helped Palace to their stunning win over United on Monday.
Speaking after the win to Crystal Palace's official website, the midfielder said: "The last few games you can see we've been playing well as a team. We're all up for it.
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"We've all got a bit of confidence after a few wins. Everyone's just buzzing. Even the players coming off the bench are coming on and making the team better and playing well.
"Nothing's changing the way we play, and that's just down to working hard every day in training and being ready to play when you're needed.
"It makes it [the hard work] worth it when you're winning games. Everyone's happy. It's what you do it for."
Once the domestic season is over, Wharton and Mainoo will hope to be part of some England wins this summer...
Topics: Kobbie Mainoo, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Euro 2024, England, Football, Gareth Southgate
Ryan Smart