Koby Mainou was the only outfielder in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad to not play a single minute at the World Cup, missing out on the third-place match due to injury.
Koby Mainu’s World Cup ended in disaster (Image: Europa Press Sports/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Koby Mainu suffered a back injury on the eve of the third-place play-off between England and France. Mainu, 21, watched the World Cup from the bench, missing out on his first appearance as the Three Lions won on the right wing in a thrilling 6-4 win in Miami.
Tuchel made seven changes to his starting lineup, including a late cameo appearance in outfielder Trevo Chalobah, who was the only one of the team’s 26-man players not to play. But the injury came at the cruelest time for Mainu, who was forced to return to the England squad after a strong second half of the season with Manchester United.
“Coby was injured during the last training session yesterday morning,” Tuchel said after Saturday’s win. “He felt a sharp pain in his back during training and was not ready to play.”
Mainu’s injury is also causing concern for United, with him not expected to link up with his team-mates for several weeks. The midfielder’s absence from the World Cup has been a hot topic ever since England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-finals, with many experts claiming Maynou should have come on as a substitute to finish out the match before Argentina’s return.
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Former United captain Gary Neville claimed on the Stick to Football podcast: “To be honest, we were completely stuck on our own. We couldn’t get out of the box.”
“We were literally pushed back and then the midfield players came back sagging on you because they lost their legs. Look at today, Declan definitely wasn’t right from day one, right?”
“That’s a big problem for us. He doesn’t have the energy and speed to get to the ball. Koby Mainu has his doubts, right?”
Should Koby Mainu have played more at the World Cup? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Koby Mainu returns to Manchester United for pre-season (Image: Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, former United midfielder Nicky Butt suggested Maynou should have “refused” to play in the third-place match. “If I was Koby Mainu, I would just refuse to play. I would say he was hurt,” Butt said on the podcast “The Good, the Bad and the Football.”
“It’s a nonsense game, especially when you’re being treated like that. He hasn’t played a minute of football yet and now you start playing this pointless jump-up friendly and he could be injured for the whole season… No.”
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