Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Kobbie Mainoo suffered a back injury the day before England's 6-4 World Cup third-place play-off win over France — a victory kickstarted by Declan Rice's third-minute goal at Miami Stadium.
Mainoo, 21, was ruled out after picking up a sharp pain in his back during the final training session. "He was not ready to play," Tuchel revealed. The Manchester United midfielder was the only outfielder in the 26-man squad not to have featured at the tournament, aside from Trevoh Chalobah, who was given a cameo in the closing stages.
“Kobbie Mainoo missed England's 6-4 win over France due to a back injury picked up in training, as Declan Rice scored after three minutes.”
Tuchel made seven changes to the starting line-up for the play-off, which saw England run out 6-4 winners. But Mainoo's absence continued a frustrating World Cup; his lack of minutes had already been a talking point after England's 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina, with pundits arguing he should have been used to prevent Argentina's comeback.
Mainoo's injury also adds a concern for Manchester United, though he was not expected to rejoin his club teammates for several weeks. The midfielder had forced his way back into the England squad after a strong second half of the season for United.