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17 July 2026

Fresh insights have emerged on why England manager Thomas Tuchel opted not to use Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo during the World Cup campaign.

Mainoo earned his place in England’s World Cup squad following a strong finish to the 2025/26 season with Manchester United, where he played a key role in helping the team secure Champions League qualification.

Although Mainoo was not expected to start regularly, given Tuchel’s preference for Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson in midfield, the young player was believed to be in contention for substitute appearances during the tournament.

However, Mainoo did not feature for even a single minute across England’s World Cup matches, despite occasions when his creativity could have been valuable, especially in games where the team struggled to unlock defences.

Tuchel’s decision to overlook the Manchester United star has become one of the major talking points in recent weeks, particularly as Mainoo has been seen looking visibly downcast after matches.

According to a report from The Daily Mail, Tuchel had initially considered starting Mainoo in England’s second group-stage match against Ghana but later changed his mind.

The report stated: “Not every player has looked happy throughout, either. Kobbie Mainoo did not play a minute despite Rice’s fitness issues and Jordan Henderson’s injury. In the week before the second match, when Rice was starting to struggle, Mainoo played central midfield in training alongside Anderson. There was a feeling he was in line to feature, but Tuchel had not liked what he saw. After almost every match, Mainoo was the first player to leave the stadium, always alone and with headphones in.”

Meanwhile, The Athletic reported that Mainoo has been ‘unhappy’ during the tournament and was often seen as the first player to return to the team bus after matches.

The same report added that there was uncertainty within the squad about Tuchel’s actual plan for Mainoo during the competition.

It further revealed: “One source connected to the squad wondered if Tuchel viewed Mainoo as a youngster who would simply be content to be part of a World Cup squad; others believed the Manchester United player had not done enough to gain Tuchel’s full trust. Either way, it was never clear what Tuchel’s plan was for the player. Instead, Mainoo saw defender Reece James deployed in midfield ahead of him towards the end of the tournament and remained unused even when Rice was clearly struggling for fitness, despite a source close to the camp confirming that he trained well.”