Kobbie Mainoo started a fifth straight game for Manchester United against West Ham, once again shining despite it being a night to forget for the club.
Michael Carrick has made Kobbie Mainoo into one of his undroppable players already.
This is a long way from Ruben Amorim giving Mainoo an insulting level of minutes to appease fans, not that it worked.
Now, Mainoo has consistently looked like one of the best players on the pitch, making it very strange that he was snubbed for so long and so blatantly. We may never get answers to this, but Mainoo has proven Amorim wrong countless times already.
But against West Ham, it was a different manager who had snubbed Mainoo that the performance would have been dedicated to.
Who was Manchester United’s Man of the Match vs West Ham?
West Ham United v Manchester United - Premier League
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Kobbie Mainoo impresses on a disappointing night for Manchester United
The draw ends the winning run for United, but it will probably be reflected on as a good point against Nuno Espirito Santo’s well-organised defence.
While most of United’s players were far from their best, this wasn’t the case for Mainoo as he still had a very good game, all right in front of England boss Thomas Tuchel, who likely attended specifically to watch the 20-year-old.
Kobbie Mainoo is challenged by Taty Castellanos and Freddie Potts during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium in 2026 in London, England.
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Tuchel will be mulling over his World Cup squad, and on current form, Mainoo should walk into this squad.
Well, on Tuesday, Tuchel watched Mainoo with his own eyes, and although it wasn’t the midfielder’s best performance, there were still three things he did that will be impressive and further his argument for a World Cup place.
On the ball, Mainoo dictated play for United as he reliably knocked the ball around and controlled the game from midfield, giving it to his attacking teammates.
Off the ball, Mainoo continued to showcase that he is all-action in midfield as he won duels, made lots of recoveries, and ran relentlessly.
Tuchel will also be impressed with Mainoo’s creativity, as he was inches from grabbing a third assist in five games as his beautiful cross found Casemiro’s head before the goal was ruled out due to a fractional offside.
These three aspects of Mainoo’s game will impress Tuchel, as even on a day when he wasn’t excellent, he still did really well, with qualities England will need.
What did Michael Carrick get right with his game management vs West Ham?
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Mainoo should be an obvious choice for Thomas Tuchel
Mainoo hasn’t been involved in the England set-up since Euro 2024, but the March international break should absolutely result in a return.
Speaking back in September, Tuchel admitted Mainoo was good enough and just needed minutes.
“He’s lacking minutes. I don’t think he lacks anything else. He has the experience, the power, the quality, the talent to be on our list – he is on our list – but in his position No6, No8, No10 we have players in full rhythm and play key parts in their clubs.”
So now Mainoo is reaching full flow, there is no reason Tuchel won’t integrate him into the squad ahead of the tournament.
Jamie Carragher wants Mainoo in the England squad, and these performances make it clear he needs to be called up.
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