Kobbie Mainoo injury update provided by Tuchel

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The Peoples Person

20 July 2026

Manchester United

fans watching the World Cup were left disappointed with Thomas Tuchel’s utilisation of

Kobbie Mainoo

The Carrington graduate, who had been

overlooked by Ruben Amorim for so long

, set the

stage alight

as soon as Michael Carrick took over.

What a second half of the season the Englishman had, and it was no surprise to see him earn a call-up to the England squad for the quadrennial showpiece.

With Declan Rice not at his best, fans must have felt the minutes would come for the 21-year-old, especially considering the impact he had in the last European Championships.

However, Tuchel opted to play Jordan Henderson, Reece James and Eberechi Eze in midfield instead of the United star.

As soon as the Three Lions lost in the semi-finals, there was a clamour from pundits and fans for the

England international

not to play the third-place match, which in essence is just a glorified friendly.

As luck would have it,

did not even make the matchday squad for the game against France, a match England won 6-4.

After the game, Tuchel revealed that the United No.37 had picked up a back injury during training, which prevented him from taking part.

“Kobbie was injured in the last training session yesterday morning. He had a sharp pain in the back within the training and he was not ready to play,” the German manager was

quoted as saying

Hopefully, the injury is nothing serious and

can return to United’s pre-season camp fit and firing.

The 20-time English league champions are already short on quality in the middle of the park, with Mason Mount asked to

occupy a deeper role

in the absence of

Youri Tielemans

and that elusive third midfield signing.

Kobbie Mainoo will have a point to prove once he does return after the disastrous treatment meted out to him.

The midfield maestro’s game goes up a gear when under fire; just

check his performance against Manchester City

in Carrick’s first game in charge.

The Red Devils also have to contend with injuries to Manuel Ugarte and Lisandro Martinez, with Carrick left sweating to figure out the exact timeline of their returns.

Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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