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England boss Thomas Tuchel did not play Kobbie Mainoo once throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup -Credit:Shaun Botterill, Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Kobbie Mainoo sustained a back injury just one day prior to England's third-place playoff against France. The 21-year-old remained on the sidelines throughout the FIFA World Cup but was denied his tournament debut as the Three Lions emerged victorious in a 6-4 spectacle in Miami.
Tuchel rotated seven players in his starting XI and even handed Trevoh Chalobah - the sole remaining outfield player in his 26-man roster yet to feature - some minutes late in the match. However, misfortune struck at the worst possible moment for Mainoo, who had earned his recall to the England setup following an impressive second half of the season with Manchester United, via The Mirror.
"Kobbie was injured in the last training session yesterday morning," Tuchel explained after Saturday's victory. "He had a sharp pain in the back within the training and he was not ready to play."
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-Credit:Buda Mendes, Getty Images
The injury also presents a worry for United, though the midfielder wasn't scheduled to rejoin his club colleagues for several weeks. Mainoo's absence from the World Cup has sparked debate since England's 2-1 semifinal defeat to Argentina, with numerous analysts contending that Mainoo should have been introduced as a substitute to help secure the result before Argentina's fightback.
Former United captain Gary Neville stated on the 'Stick to Football' podcast: "Honestly, we were absolutely dead out on our feet. We couldn't get out of the box.
"We literally get pushed back, and then the midfield players sag back onto you because their legs have gone. You look at today, Declan definitely, he's not been right since day one, has he?".
"That's a big problem for us. Him not having the energy and the speed to get to the ball. Kobbie Mainoo would be asking a question, wouldn't he?"
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Meanwhile, former United midfielder Nicky Butt proposed that Mainoo should have 'refused' to participate in the third-place playoff. "I'd just refuse to play if I was Kobbie Mainoo. I'd say I was injured," Butt said on 'The Good, The Bad and The Football' podcast.
"It's a nonsense game, especially when you've been treated like that. He's not played a minute of football, now to go and start this pointless jumped-up friendly and potentially get injured for the whole season... no."
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