Kobbie Mainoo went to the World Cup as one of England’s most in-form midfielders. He’s coming home without playing a single minute.
Thomas Tuchel’s decision to keep the Manchester United teenager on the bench through the entire tournament has raised eyebrows, especially with Elliot Anderson struggling to make an impact and Declan Rice clearly not at full strength. England somehow grinded past Mexico in the Round of 16 despite playing a man down for extended stretches, but Mainoo never got the call.
In an exclusive chat with BetTOM, former United and England defender Wes Brown didn’t hide his frustration.
“It’s disappointing for all us Man United fans that he hasn’t had any minutes whatsoever,” Brown said. “It’s not like it’s his first time, he’s had experience in big competitions before. I’m pretty sure he’ll be disappointed as well. We feel like Kobbie can bring something to the table, but it’s not been quite his tournament and the manager stuck to his guns with the two in the middle really.”
When asked about Anderson’s underwhelming performances, Brown was more diplomatic than most fans would be.
“I like him, to be fair. Energetic, he’s done what he’s needed to do, he gets about the pitch. I think that price [Manchester City paid] is a lot of money for anybody, but at the same time you can’t blame the player, that’s just the way the market is. He’s just got to get on with what he does.”
Brown knows what it feels like to be an unused squad member at a World Cup. He went through it himself with England, and he didn’t sugarcoat the experience.
“Well, I was rubbish the game before, to be fair. I didn’t expect to play anyway, and at the time I wasn’t even a right-back, I was a centre-back. It’s a great experience. You obviously want to play, but at the same time you’re happy that you go and you’ve been involved.”
Now the question becomes what this means for Mainoo’s preparation for next season. Does a World Cup trip where you don’t actually play leave you tired or rusty? Brown thinks it’s a bit of both, but manageable.
“I think training will still be hard at the beginning. Once the tournament starts, you don’t actually do much. You do maybe some short sessions that are hard, but not the long sessions like you have in a full season at your club.”
Brown expects Mainoo will get three to four weeks off before joining up with United for preseason. And he made a point about the mental side of it too — you miss the early bonding with teammates and walk into a group that’s already been grinding together.
“You don’t join up at the same time with the boys, and when you do get in, you’re just hoping everything goes well because preseason is something that you need to have under your belt to keep you going for this season.”
England faces Norway in the quarterfinal on Saturday. Unless Tuchel changes his mind completely, Mainoo will likely watch that one from the bench too.
Tomorrow we’ll run the second part of our interview with Brown, where he talks about United’s plans for JJ Gabriel next season.
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