Thomas Tuchel faced the English press ahead of the September international break and did not dodge the toughest question about Kobbie Mainoo. Reporters wanted to know why the Manchester United midfielder travelled to the World Cup and never played a single minute. Tuchel’s answer was blunt: it hurt him too.
The England head coach spoke about “duty” when explaining why Mainoo returns to the squad for this month’s Nations League fixtures against Spain, Czechia and Croatia. He admitted that leaving Mainoo out of every matchday squad at the tournament was entirely his own call, not a reflection of the player’s application.
Rather than deflecting the questions, Tuchel praised Mainoo’s professionalism throughout the tournament and called his conduct exemplary despite the frustration of watching from the sidelines. That praise sits awkwardly next to the fact that United’s academy graduate did not feature once, not even in a routine group game.
The timing matters for United fans. Mainoo has rediscovered his best form under Michael Carrick this season, and Tuchel’s comments follow the club’s recent England call-ups announcement closely. They also reopen a wider debate about the head coach’s selection habits, including criticism of England selection decisions from pundits and former players alike.
World Cup minutes totally on Thomas Tuchel
Speaking directly to reporters, Tuchel accepted sole responsibility for Mainoo’s lack of game time at the World Cup.
“I expect him to be on the pitch and it’s my duty to get him on the pitch. That was totally on me.”
He also had warm words for how Mainoo carried himself away from matchdays, even as chances failed to arrive.
“He didn’t put a foot wrong during the World Cup. He was class in behaviour on the training pitch.”
Tuchel then explained the competition that kept Mainoo out of his plans, naming the players he trusted ahead of the 21-year-old.
“There was big competition; we played Reece [James] in central midfield also. Elliot Anderson is amazing for us, Declan Rice is a very unique player. We trusted them more than we trusted Kobbie. It was difficult for him. It was on me.”
Mainoo missed the France game with an injury
Tuchel closed by addressing Mainoo’s final chance of minutes, in the third-place play-off against France, which disappeared through injury rather than selection.
“He got injured before the France game so we couldn’t even give him minutes there, which hurt me. Maybe he was more hurt than me but it was my responsibility and it’s my responsibility to reward him for that.”
United supporters will welcome the honesty, and the reasoning behind it holds up under scrutiny. Rice offered proven reliability in a settled England midfield, James brought positional versatility from an unconventional role, and Anderson arrived in form. None of the three offer Mainoo’s ball-carrying and tempo through midfield, yet Tuchel’s caution was understandable in a knockout tournament with little room for experimentation.
What matters most for United fans is the framing. Tuchel did not question Mainoo’s ability or attitude at any point. He described a tactical judgement call that went against a player who did nothing to deserve exclusion, which is precisely why the manager now feels obliged to put it right.
Carrick has Mainoo restored in United lineup
While Tuchel addressed the press, the picture at Carrington has looked rather different in recent weeks. Carrick has restored Mainoo to the heart of his midfield, pairing him with summer arrival Youri Tielemans in a partnership that has quickly become United’s first-choice pairing.
Under Carrick, Mainoo has looked closer to the box-to-box force that first announced him during his breakthrough season. His understanding with Tielemans allows one midfielder to sit and dictate while the other drives beyond the ball, a split of duties that plays to both players’ strengths.
Carrick has not needed to publicly defend his player this season, because Mainoo’s performances have done that job for him. Consistent starts, better decision-making and a calmer temperament on the ball have all followed his restoration to the team.
A midfielder trusted to start every week for his club found no way into an international matchday squad for over three weeks at a World Cup. There is no suggestion of any rift between Carrick and Tuchel over the matter; if anything, Mainoo’s club form has simply made his international omission harder to justify with each passing week.
United supporters will treat Tuchel’s next team sheet as the real test of whether his promise to reward Mainoo means anything.
Mainoo’s missed chance to play Bronze game
Mainoo’s World Cup effectively ended before it began. Even the third-place play-off against France, his most realistic chance of minutes, was taken away when he picked up an injury in the build-up to the match.
Former United midfielder Nicky Butt argued publicly that Mainoo should refuse to play in that fixture at all, reasoning that involvement carried more risk than reward for a player who had barely featured throughout the tournament. Butt’s advice was never tested in practice. Mainoo’s injury meant England’s staff would not have picked him regardless, and there is nothing to suggest he intended to sit the match out had he been fit.
Tuchel’s own account, set out in full in the Manchester Evening News report, confirms that the injury, not any selection stand-off, closed the door on Mainoo’s tournament entirely. Squad rules allowed him to remain part of England’s official 26-man group throughout, but head coaches retain full discretion over who actually takes the pitch, and Tuchel simply never used that discretion in Mainoo’s favour.
Mainoo’s recall for the Nations League double-header, beginning against Spain on September 26 before matches with Czechia and Croatia, is the first opportunity Tuchel has to act on his own admission. Nothing has been guaranteed about a starting place, but the head coach has been explicit that correcting the World Cup oversight is now his responsibility, not Mainoo’s to earn twice over.
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