England: Reason Thomas Tuchel snubbed unhappy Kobbie Mainoo at World Cup revealed

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17 July 2026

New reports have shed light on why

England

boss Thomas Tuchel decided against using

Manchester United

star

Kobbie Mainoo

at the

World Cup

Mainoo earned a spot in

‘s

squad by shining for Man Utd during the 2025/26 run-in, having helped them secure Champions League qualification.

The Man Utd standout was never likely to start many

games as Tuchel favoured Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, but he would have hoped to get some opportunities at the tournament.

However,

Mainoo

is yet to play a single minute at this summer’s

, but he could have certainly been useful in certain matches when

were struggling to break down opposition.

Tuchel’s snub of Mainoo has been a major talking point in recent weeks, partly becuase he has visibly looked disappointed after matches.

Now,

a report from

The Daily Mail

has revealed

why Tuchel changed his mind about using Mainoo from the start in their second group match against Ghana.

The report explains:

‘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 with 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.’

The Athletic,

meanwhile, have acknowledged that Mainoo has been ‘unhappy’ at the

and was ‘often the first player back on the team bus’ after matches.

The same report has suggested that it was unclear what Tuchel’s plan was for Mainoo at the tournament.

The report claims:

‘One source connected to the squad wondered if Tuchel considered Mainoo a youngster who would be happy to simply be part of a World Cup squad; others felt the United player had simply not done enough to earn Tuchel’s trust. ‘Either way, it was never clear what Tuchel’s plan was for the player. Instead, Mainoo saw defender Reece James played in midfield ahead of him towards the end of the tournament and failed to get minutes even when Rice was clearly struggling for fitness, despite a source close to the camp insisting he trained well.’

Thomas Tuchel did not like what he saw from Man United star Kobbie Mainoo in training ahead of England v Ghana

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