Souness assesses Tuchel’s use of Kobbie Mainoo at the World Cup | OneFootball

England manager Thomas Tuchel opted against giving Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo any minutes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far. Liverpool legend Graeme Souness believes that it was the right decision.

The Englishman enjoyed a resurgent second half of the 2025/26 season after being sidelined by former Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim at the beginning of the campaign. The Portuguese lost his job in January, with the Premier League giants opting to appoint Michael Carrick as his replacement.

The English manager immediately reinstated Mainoo in the starting XI, and the young midfielder played a starring role in United’s third-place finish in the Premier League. He ended the campaign with one goal and three assists in 30 appearances.

Kobbie Mainoo Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

The 21 year old’s efforts earned him a place in Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, but he has yet to play a minute at the tournament. That decision has already been criticised, especially after England’s heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Argentina in the semi-final earlier this week. Souness has now provided his views on the matter.

Souness defends Tuchel’s decision

Speaking on World Cup Uncensored, Souness defended Tuchel’s decision not to opt for Mainoo against Argentina. He said: “He will have looked at his bench and gone ‘I’ve got to make a change here. And this is where he is culpable, he has looked at his bench and gone ‘Kobbie Mainoo, I’m going to put him on?’”

“He’s panicked and he’s loaded it up because he is now thinking ‘I’ve got a whole lot of the game, I can’t get the game back and I’ve now got to nick the game by defending properly like we did in Mexico. He’s lost the midfield, the game has gone, what do you do? You have to bring someone on to do it, who are you bringing on?”

Fellow panellist Simon Jordan was quick to point out that Souness does not like Mainoo, stating: “I know you are not a big fan of Kobbie Mainoo because you have got a bias and you have never liked him because you spoke about him two or three years ago…”

When asked to elaborate by Souness, the former Crystal Palace chief explained: “Because you don’t like Kobbie Mainoo.”

Of course, the Liverpool legend was not pleased with the comment, and made his feelings known. He said: “When did I say I don’t like Kobbie Mainoo? Kobbie Mainoo is a young man who is really good with the ball, but does not know the position.”

“He doesn’t know the position of trying to get that game back on side, he empties the midfield too soon. That’s my dislike of Kobbie Mainoo at this moment in time.”

What has Souness previously said about the United prodigy?

In his column for The Daily Mail in the 2024/25 season, Souness had insisted that Mainoo lacks a sense of danger, but acknowledged that he can develop all the necessary traits. He wrote: “Mainoo catches the eye because he’s so good on the ball, drifts around, pops up on the left and the right, but he’s not got any sense of danger yet, and empties the midfield area too readily.”

“Mainoo doesn’t yet understand all the disciplines of the position but he’s only 19. He can develop, with the proper guidance and instruction.”

Final Thoughts

United fans will hope to catch a glimpse of Mainoo when England take on France in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday, 18 July. While things have not unfolded as expected for the England midfielder at the World Cup, he is expected to play a starring role for the Red Devils next season. One assumes he will also prove Tuchel wrong in the 2026/27 campaign.

Featured image by Molly Darlington/Getty Images

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