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Manchester United great Paul Scholes has explained why England manager Thomas Tuchel’s recent decision could worsen Kobbie Mainoo’s already difficult situation at the 2026 World Cup.

Mainoo is still waiting to make his tournament debut after Tuchel again opted to leave him out of the squad that faced DR Congo. The young midfielder remains the only player in England’s midfield contingent yet to feature for the Three Lions.

England narrowly defeated DR Congo earlier this week to secure a place in the Round of 16. Captain Harry Kane delivered a brilliant second-half performance, scoring twice to overturn Brian Cipenga’s opener and spare England from a potential upset.

With that victory, Tuchel’s side booked a last-16 showdown with Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. However, calls had been growing before the DR Congo match for Mainoo to be given some game time to build rhythm and confidence.

Scholes, however, believes it would now be difficult and possibly unfair to throw the youngster into such a high-pressure fixture. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, former England and Manchester United teammate Nicky Butt said, “I think if we’re going to beat Mexico then we have to be more expansive in midfield and play Kobbie Mainoo or Eberechi Eze.”

Scholes responded, “There’s no way he’s going to play Kobbie Mainoo, he’s never going to do that, no chance!”

When asked why Tuchel even selected Mainoo for the World Cup squad if he had no plans to use him, Scholes admitted, “I don’t know.”

He went on to add, “But do you know what? It would probably be the wrong thing to do for Kobbie now. He’s been out there for three or four weeks but he’s not played a game. Imagine if all of a sudden he’s got to come in. It’s probably not fair on Kobbie to ask him to come in now.”

Reflecting on the win over DR Congo, Scholes said, “I thought it was bad. We brought Thomas Tuchel in because he’s managed big clubs and played brilliant football. But I feel like we’ve turned him into an English manager.”

He continued, “He’s picked these players but I don’t think they are the type of players he wants to work with. I think he wants to play the game the right way but he’s left players with the most flair out of the squad. Cole Palmer, brilliant player, same with Phil Foden – they weren’t in the best form but this team are playing bad football.”

The United legend concluded, “The two best footballers he’s got are Kobbie Mainoo and Eberechi Eze but he isn’t playing them. Those two can make a team play good football but he’s not playing them.”

England’s clash with Mexico is scheduled for Sunday at 11 pm.