Kobbie Mainoo, the 21-year-old Manchester United midfielder, was a surprising scratch from England’s World Cup bronze final against France. Now, England coach Thomas Tuchel has laid out the reason: “sharp” back pain ruled Mainoo out, a tough blow considering he hadn’t seen a single minute of play all tournament long.
The Late Injury That Stung Even Harder
In Miami, Florida, just before the bronze final kicked off, the announcement came. Mainoo, who was expected to be an “obvious option” for players who hadn’t featured much, was out with an injury. Tuchel confirmed it was from the last training session on Saturday morning. “Kobbie was injured in the last training session yesterday morning,” Tuchel stated. “He had a sharp pain in the back within the training and he was not ready to play.” England went on to beat France 6-4 in an unexpected thriller, with goalkeeper Dean Henderson and striker Ivan Toney being the clearest beneficiaries of the seven changes Tuchel made to the starting XI.
England’s Midfield Hole and Mainoo’s Unplayed Hand
Mainoo’s total absence from England’s World Cup run was already lamented by many fans, especially after the gut-wrenching 1-0 semi-final loss to Argentina. England took a 1-0 lead in the second half thanks to Anthony Gordon, but then fell back into desperate defending. Many felt Tuchel’s substitutions only made the problem worse. Enzo Fernandez hit a late equalizer from the edge of the box, and Lautaro Martinez delivered an even later header to send Argentina into the final against Spain. Fans were convinced the team desperately needed a midfielder who could hold onto the ball, believing Mainoo would have been capable. However, with zero minutes under his belt from Tuchel throughout the tournament, he would have been thrusted into a high-stakes situation completely cold. It just leaves you wondering what could have been.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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