There are two versions of Declan Rice’s thoughts on Kobbie Mainoo, and depending on which report you read, they paint a very different picture. One suggests the Arsenal star was skeptical of Mainoo’s defensive work. The other says Rice spent the final months of the season quietly wondering whether Mainoo might actually force his way into England’s World Cup squad.
The truth, as it often is with club rivalries filtered through anonymous sources, probably lands somewhere in the middle.
The Skepticism That Never Quite Went Away
Earlier this week, a report from The Sun‘s Samuel Luckhurst claimed Rice is ‘skeptical’ about Mainoo’s productivity off the ball. The implication was clear: for all of Mainoo’s technical quality and composure on the ball, there’s a lingering question about his defensive awareness and work rate when his team doesn’t have possession.
It’s not a new criticism. Mainoo has been caught ball-watching at times this season, and his positioning in transition has occasionally left Manchester United exposed. But here’s the thing — the same report that flagged Rice’s skepticism also noted that the England vice-captain had been ‘pondering’ Mainoo’s resurgence over the past three months.
That’s a significant pivot. When Mainoo looked likely to leave Old Trafford earlier in the season, few would have predicted he’d not only stay but become a key figure in United’s run to Champions League qualification. Michael Carrick’s appointment as manager appears to have unlocked something in the 20-year-old that Ruben Amorim never quite found.
From Squad Fringe to World Cup Threat
Mainoo’s form during the 2025/26 run-in was good enough that Thomas Tuchel had no real choice but to include him in England’s World Cup squad. He’ll provide competition from the bench for Rice and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, who is expected to start alongside Rice in central midfield.
That’s a remarkable turnaround for a player who, six months ago, was being discussed as a potential departure from his boyhood club. Carrick’s faith in Mainoo — giving him consistent starts and a defined role — has paid off in a way that even United’s coaching staff probably didn’t fully anticipate.
Tuchel’s Selection Headaches Go Deeper Than Midfield
While the Rice-Mainoo dynamic is intriguing, England’s biggest selection questions are elsewhere. Alan Shearer has already weighed in on the right-wing situation, advising Tuchel to leave Arsenal’s Noni Madueke out of the starting XI even if Bukayo Saka isn’t fit.
“He’s got the option to play Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford on the right-hand side and the other one on the left-hand side, either side of Harry Kane,” Shearer said on The Rest is Football. “Which would give you the pace and the press and also the ability to sit back and counterattack as well, rather than Madueke.”
Then there’s the Cole Palmer situation, which Frank Lampard addressed bluntly. “I don’t know where he [Tuchel] sees him, because he’s played more as a number 10 for Chelsea,” Lampard said. “Whether he thinks on the right he wants that dynamic thing where they go by players. Cole Palmer can go by players, obviously, because he’s got that, but it’s a different style, isn’t it?”
Lampard noted that in the heat of a World Cup, games can slow down and become turgid — and that Palmer, with his fearlessness and ability to unlock tight spaces, could be exactly the kind of player who makes the difference. But that versatility also makes him harder to slot into a fixed position.
What This Means for England’s Chances
Tuchel has a deep squad and genuine options across the pitch. The Mainoo story is a reminder that selection is never static — and that players who were doubted in October can become vital by June. Rice’s reported skepticism, whether real or exaggerated, hasn’t stopped Mainoo from earning his place.
If anything, it might have given him something to prove.
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