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Kobbie Mainoo was robbed of a final opportunity to earn his first World Cup appearance of the summer in England's third-place playoff against France on Saturday due to injury.
That was the explanation listed on the official team sheet distributed at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, a position backed by the English Football Association, though specific details remained scarce.
It's been a forgettable tournament for Mainoo. After a stellar finish to the Premier League season with Manchester United — earning him a nomination for the division's Young Player of the Year award — he arrived with England hoping to carry his club form onto the grandest international stage. Things have not gone according to plan.
Reports suggest that Thomas Tuchel considered introducing the 21-year-old in place of an under-par Declan Rice following the opening group stage match, only to be left unimpressed by his showing in training. Despite numerous subsequent chances to bring Mainoo back into the fold, the German head coach passed on every single one.
The low-stakes setting of the Bronze Final could have offered Mainoo a welcome chance to finally get some game time. Tuchel was clearly open to shuffling his lineup, leaving out both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in a side featuring seven changes. Yet Mainoo was unable to shake off his injury and failed to even feature among the substitutes.
'Disillusioned'—Mainoo's World Cup Nightmare Ends With a Whimper
Mainoo has stayed tight-lipped throughout the competition, quietly making his way through every post-match mixed zone with his hood pulled up and headphones on, frequently among the first to board the team bus heading back to the hotel.
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The United academy product was part of the traveling squad that arrived at the Miami venue on Saturday, but his failure to even secure a spot on the bench is simply the latest dispiriting chapter in a disappointing summer. Mainoo has grown "increasingly disillusioned" over the past six weeks, according to Sky Sports News. With each passing week making his standing in the squad hierarchy ever more apparent, the word "demoralized" was also used to describe his state of mind.
This bleak situation stands in stark contrast to Jordan Henderson. While Mainoo couldn't make the bench due to his undisclosed injury, the Brentford midfielder was listed among the substitutes despite nursing a broken arm — an injury Henderson picked up while celebrating too enthusiastically following England's win over Mexico.