Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has expressed his hope that Kobbie Mainoo does not feature in England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina, warning that the midfielder's lack of game time could prove costly.
Mainoo yet to play at World Cup
England face defending champions Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night for a place in the final. The Three Lions reached only their fourth World Cup semi-final with a cagey extra-time win over Norway, while Argentina beat Switzerland, also in extra-time, in the quarter-finals.
Mainoo is one of the few members of Thomas Tuchel's squad yet to feature at the tournament. The German boss has favoured a starting pair of Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice in midfield. Rice's fitness and health issues could force Tuchel into a change of plans, but Butt hopes Mainoo continues to be overlooked.
Butt: 'He's not going to be at the level'
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Butt explained his reasoning. 'Do you know something? I actually hope Kobbie Mainoo doesn't come on now,' he said. 'Because he's probably so down, he's not played and he's not kicked a football in a real game. He's been training, obviously, but if he goes in now, the only thing he can do is bad. He's not going to be at the level to go and play at that level in a semi-final. I hope he doesn't come on.'
Butt added: 'It's anybody but Kobbie for Tuchel. He won't be the first one to go to a World Cup and not play a minute, there's a few players who have done that.'
Scholes questions Tuchel's choices
Paul Scholes also weighed in on the podcast, questioning Tuchel's reluctance to use Mainoo. 'It seems like it's anybody but Kobbie Mainoo for Thomas Tuchel at the minute,' Scholes said. 'He's bringing Reece James on who hasn't played for three weeks because of a hamstring injury. Only Tuchel will know why, I can't imagine Kobbie being a problem in the camp. But every manager has their favourites, of course they do.'
Henderson injury could open door
Mainoo's chances for some World Cup minutes increased after Jordan Henderson broke his arm in a freak accident following England's last-16 win over Mexico. The injury was expected to rule Henderson out of the tournament, but it has been reported that he could still be included in matchday squads for England's remaining games.
England midfielder Morgan Rogers praised Henderson's impact around the squad. 'That just shows what he is like as a person and as a guy,' Rogers said. 'I think hopefully he can still be involved with us for the rest of the tournament. He's not going to rule himself out and neither are we. I think the belief he has got in his own body, his ability and his confidence and the way he is and what he kind of represents as a person is massive to our group. He is kind of the heartbeat of the group. To see him this morning smiling and to see him as happy as he is no matter what has happened in the last 48 hours is nice to see, and hopefully we can get him out on the pitch as soon as possible.'
Messi to face England for first time
Wednesday's mouth-watering World Cup semi-final will be the first time Lionel Messi, arguably the best player of all time, faces England. The match is set to be a historic encounter between two footballing powerhouses.
