Kobbie Mainoo is walking alone around the World Cup hotel. He’s been the first guy out of the dressing room after every match. First onto the team bus. And as of right now, he hasn’t played a single second of competitive football in the tournament.
Sky Sports reported that the Manchester United midfielder looks “forlorn” and “a little lost” in his surroundings. There’s an air of disappointment around him. Maybe some disillusionment too. That tracks for a 21-year-old who basically got called up as an afterthought under Thomas Tuchel.
Mainoo’s past two seasons have been a rollercoaster. He broke through in 2023/2024 in storybook fashion. Then came the injuries. Then Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford in November 2024 and promptly stopped playing him. Mainoo was so frustrated he considered a loan to Napoli just to get on the pitch. When Michael Carrick took over for Amorim this past January, Mainoo was back in the starting lineup and United clawed their way to a third-place Premier League finish.
The England call for this World Cup felt like a reward. But now that England has reached the semifinal against Argentina, Mainoo is one of only three outfield players who hasn’t touched the grass in a game. The other two? Ivan Toney and Trevoh Chalobah. And Sky Sports notes those guys probably understand their role better than Mainoo does.
Tuchel’s faith isn’t there
The frustrating part for United fans is that Tuchel has been forced into weird choices rather than turn to Mainoo. Declan Rice had to be subbed off in the second half against Norway. Instead of bringing in Mainoo, Tuchel played Eberechi Eze and Reece James out of position. That didn’t go unnoticed by the fanbase.
You’d think that would be the moment. If Rice can’t go and you need midfield stability, why not the guy who’s been in England setups since the youth levels? Tuchel clearly doesn’t see it that way. Or at least doesn’t trust him enough to throw him into knockout football.
Tonight’s semifinal against Argentina is massive. The kind of game where a manager leans on the guys he trusts most. Everything points to Mainoo staying on the bench again. There’s been no indication from camp that Tuchel is planning to use him, and at this point you wonder if the kid is just counting the days until he can go home.
That’s a rough spot for someone who was probably expecting to be part of the story. Instead he’s the guy walking alone, first on the bus, wondering what he did wrong.
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