Thomas Tuchel delivers worrying Kobbie Mainoo injury update to spark Manchester United concern

Open menu

OneFootball's home page

Settings

Evening Standard

19 July 2026

Young midfielder did not play a single minute this summer

“Sharp” back pain ruled

Kobbie Mainoo

out of

England

’s

World Cup

bronze final against France,

Thomas Tuchel

has said.

Tuchel rotated heavily into the third-place play-off,

handing minutes to some fringe members of his squad

went on to win 6-4

Mainoo had yet to play a minute at the tournament and was expected to get a run-out in Miami, but was once again left off the team sheet.

He was listed by

FIFA

as injured on the teamsheet, though Jordan Henderson,

who broke his wrist in a freak accident following the last-16 win over Mexico

, was named among the substitutes. The FA also issued a statement confirming Mainoo’s injury.

And Tuchel has now issued a more detailed update on the player’s condition, explaining he had picked up a back problem in training.

“Kobbie was injured in the last training session (on Friday) morning,” Tuchel said of the 21-year-old on Saturday. “He had a sharp pain in the back within the training and he was not ready to play.”

Countless supporters have lamented Mainoo’s absence throughout the

. He finished the Premier League season in impressive form under Michael Carrick and appeared in pre-tournament friendlies, but did not feature at all in the

proper

despite Declan Rice’s struggles

Mainoo himself appeared unimpressed with his role in the squad. He cut a dejected figure throughout the tournament and was often the first to leave the dressing room after

matches, returning to the team bus with his hood up and headphones on.

He was in attendance at

vs France in spite of his injury.

Carrick and

Manchester United

will now be sweating over the player’s fitness as they gear up for what is sure to be a demanding season, which will see them return to the Champions League.

Following some time off, Mainoo will return to Carrington as part of an overhauled United midfield which has been bolstered by the additions of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, signed for around £85m in total.

United were beaten 1-0 by Wrexham in their first pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday.

Frustration over Kobbie Mainoo's unclear role in England's World Cup squad

caughtoffside

City's England quartet suffer World Cup semi-final heartbreak

Manchester City F.C.

Manchester United must learn midfield lesson from ‘English Scott McTominay’ and Tuchel failings

Football365

Thomas Tuchel did not like what he saw from Man United star Kobbie Mainoo in training ahead of England vs Ghana

SportsView

Kobbie Mainoo: Man United star’s feelings on World Cup outlined

The Peoples Person

Predicting which clubs the summer's biggest free agents will sign for

There are still some massive names who are set to become free agents in the summer, with some high-profile deals due to expire at the end of next month.As speculation...

Tottenham: Why James Maddison was not awarded a penalty against Leeds as Premier League issue statement

Spurs midfielder denied a big moment on his return from injuryThe Premier League has explained why Tottenham were not awarded a penalty in their draw against Leeds.As the clock ticked...

Bento's howler delays CR7's first title in Saudi Arabia 😱

An ugly mistake by Brazilian goalkeeper Bento prevented Al-Nassr from winning the Saudi League title this Tuesday.Cristiano Ronaldo’s team was leading 1-0 until the 53rd minute of the second half,...