Graeme Souness has intensified his criticism of Kobbie Mainoo, asserting that Thomas Tuchel lacked confidence in the Manchester United midfielder during critical moments of the 2026 World Cup. Speaking on World Cup Uncensored, Souness argued that Tuchel's reluctance to deploy Mainoo off the bench in tight matches revealed a fundamental issue with the player's tactical understanding.
Mainoo's World Cup Snub
Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, has not played a single minute in the 2026 tournament. He and Trevoh Chalobah are the only outfield players yet to feature for England, with only the third-place play-off remaining. Despite being selected ahead of players like Adam Wharton, Mainoo has been an unused substitute throughout the knockout stages.
Souness pointed to England's semi-final loss to Argentina as a key example. '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."'
Positional Awareness Questioned
The former Liverpool and Rangers manager doubled down on his long-standing critique of Mainoo's positional sense. 'Kobbie Mainoo is a young man who is really good with the ball, but does not know the position,' Souness said. '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.'
Souness's remarks come after Mainoo's resurgence under Michael Carrick at Manchester United, following a difficult start to the season under Ruben Amorim. That form earned him a recall to the England squad for the World Cup, but he has been unable to break into Tuchel's preferred midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson.
Tuchel's Midfield Decisions
Even with Jordan Henderson sidelined by an arm injury sustained after the Mexico win, Mainoo did not see game time. Souness interpreted this as a clear sign that Tuchel did not trust the 21-year-old in high-pressure situations. 'He's a young man who is really good with the ball, but does not know the position,' Souness reiterated, emphasising that Mainoo's inability to manage game states made him a liability in Tuchel's eyes.
England's World Cup campaign ends with the third-place play-off, after which Tuchel will likely face further scrutiny over his squad selections and in-game management.
