Stockport's very own Kobbie Mainoo has been identified as the second 'most popular' player in the England squad, with other Stockport native Phil Foden coming in at number seven.

The ranking comes following research by the comparison service, Casino Alpha.

The research focussed on the Instagram presence of the players, taking into account number of followers, level of engagement, number of likes, and so forth.

This data was used to generate an 'overall popularity score' - Mainoo finished second with 7.93, bested only by Jude Bellingham, who scored 9.13.

Phil Foden scored 6.71.

Also high on the list was Cole Palmer at number three, and Declan Rice in fifth.

Mainoo was found to have 2.2 million Instagram followers, and the highest engagement rate (comments, likes, etc) of the entire squad, at 28.49%.

On the bottom of the list is Lewis Dunk, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, reporting a low popularity score of 1.9 out of ten. The centre-back has 82,900 followers, receives 9,014 likes per post and has a 10% engagement rate.

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Speaking on the findings, a Casino Alpha spokesperson said: "The popularity of England players on Instagram reflects the importance of fan engagement, as these players will receive numerous benefits from their huge online following – including the opportunity to make lucrative sponsorship deals with brands.

"It'll be interesting to see how the follower counts of the players vary over time, and especially interesting to see which brands are willing to spring for the top endorsement fees as the Euros get underway."

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