Arsenal star Rice is ‘sceptical’ of England team-mate’s ability after Man Utd man is criticised | OneFootball

Arsenal star Declan Rice is ‘sceptical’ of England team-mate Kobbie Mainoo’s ability ahead of World Cup despite winning his place back in the Man Utd starting XI.

The Three Lions are currently preparing to take on Costa Rice in their final pre-World Cup warm-up match, which will take place on Wednesday.

England beat New Zealand 1-0 in their first friendly last week as they look to get prepared for their first Group L match against Croatia on June 17.

Both Mainoo and Rice were named in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada after playing together for large parts of Euro 2024.

The pair formed a great partnership for England in that tournament with Rice even hailing the Man Utd academy graduate’s calming presence in midfield.

Rice said: “You can just see. You speak to him and just feel his calm presence that he has and what I like about him is that he is not scared to say it how it is.

“There was something towards the end [against the Netherlands] when he gave me a pass between the lines and I got sold short for it.

“We had to sprint back and we had bit at each other – but that is good because you need that relationship. At 19, I can’t imagine many saying that to older players and that’s what I love about him.

“That is what the lads love about him as well. He gets that respect, he has that leadership and the way he takes the ball and is comfortable.

“The conversations we’ve been having daily with each other and on the training pitch have brought us together and we have become a nice partnership.”

Rice ‘sceptical’ about Mainoo’s ability in one area

And now, in a small part of Samuel Luckhurst’s piece in The Sun on Man Utd’s midfield, he claims that Arsenal star Rice is ‘sceptical’ about one part of Mainoo’s game in particular.

Luckhurst wrote: ‘Mainoo has occasionally been criticised for his defensive lapses and England midfielder Declan Rice is believed to be sceptical about his productivity off the ball.’

After failing to make a Premier League start in the first half of the season under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo was flung straight back into the action under Michael Carrick.

The report in The Sun adds that Man Utd are looking to ‘assemble a midfield trio based on Paris Saint-Germain’s dynamic Champions League winners.’

Building up to the line about Rice, Luckhurst claimed that Man Utd head coach Carrick ‘wants Mainoo to start attacking spaces in behind defences, having scored only one goal last season, in order to become a more rounded midfielder.’