Manchester United midfielder Koby Mainu appeared unhappy with his role in the England squad after enduring a frustrating run at the 2026 World Cup.
The 21-year-old is still relatively inexperienced and has no doubt a bright future ahead of him in the national team, but he also comes into this competition after a strong spell with Man United in the Premier League last season.
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So it’s a bit confusing that England manager Thomas Tuchel didn’t let him play a single minute at the World Cup, and it didn’t seem to work.
According to The Athletic, Mainu’s body language was not very good as he was often the first to leave the stadium and get on the team bus after games.
Koby Mainu’s England struggle story
Athletic claim that Tuchel’s use of Maynou has been a “particularly talked about topic”, citing sources close to the team.
There seemed to be a sense of confusion as to whether Mainu was simply there to make up the numbers, or whether Tuchel felt happy just to have been able to accompany him on the journey at such a young age.
However, this is clearly not the case, with the report stating that the Red Devils ace has appeared “feeling depressed” at times in what is generally described as an “unfortunate” situation in England’s camp.
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Did Mainu need more time?
Mainu has a slightly different profile than Declan Rice or Elliott Anderson, so there was certainly potential for him to be used from time to time in this tournament.
Again, there are more established players on this team, and there has probably never been a realistic chance of Mainu being a backup any longer.
But United fans will know what he is capable of and if he can continue to impress at a club with high standards and expectations, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to make an impact at international level as well.
In fact, Mainu has already won 14 caps and was in excellent form for the Three Lions at Euro 2024, so treating him like an immature youngster seems unwarranted.
Interestingly, Mainu had been away from the United team for some time under former manager Ruben Amorim. So, although he has really developed under new MUFC manager Michael Carrick, he is probably one of those players who doesn’t appeal to a certain type of coach.
