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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16 July 2026

Manchester United midfielder

Kobbie Mainoo

has yet to make an appearance at the

World Cup

It is unknown whether

England

manager Thomas Tuchel has plans to play him in the third-place play-off against France on Saturday.

Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have been preferred ahead of the

Man United

academy graduate, and a training ground incident appeared to have limited his chances.

There was a feeling that Mainoo was set to feature in the second group game against Ghana when Rice started to struggle with his fitness,

according to the Daily Mail

The 21-year-old played in central midfield alongside Anderson in training.

However, Tuchel had not liked what he saw, and he stuck with the Arsenal star for the game.

It was also noted that Mainoo was the first player to leave the stadium after almost every match, and he was always alone and with his headphones on.

Many had expected the

midfielder to be selected in the last group game against Panama as Tuchel made several changes.

However, the

Three Lions

boss opted for Jude Bellingham and Anderson in midfield after resting Rice.

Mainoo featured against New Zealand and Costa Rica in the two friendly games

played shortly before the

He put in decent performances in those games but Tuchel was not convinced the youngster could help influence games at the tournament.

The Englishman had a decent season for

after becoming an integral part of Michael Carrick’s team following Ruben Amorim’s departure.

England were unable to pip Argentina to a spot in the final of the tournament on Wednesday night, suffering a 2-1 loss.

Mainoo would have fancied his chances of making a difference, but Tuchel had other ideas and the Red Devils midfielder will look to quickly put the disappointment behind him.

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