Did Ruben Amorim help Kobbie Mainoo's World Cup chances?! Man Utd legend tips 'fresher' midfielder for England starting spot

Mainoo made his senior bow for England at the age of 18 in March 2024. He would go on to form part of Gareth Southgate’s European Championship plans that summer. The youngster started a final showdown with Spain, as the Three Lions suffered more trophy-chasing heartache, but has made just one appearance for his country since then.

Another major tournament is fast approaching, with Thomas Tuchel now at the helm, and Mainoo appeared to be very much out of the picture when struggling for game time at United under Portuguese tactician Amorim. A change in the dugout at Old Trafford was made in January.

A clean slate has been offered to Mainoo, and he has figured prominently under Carrick. Others have been staking their claims to a No.6 role with England - such as Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton - but no World Cup calls have been made as yet.

Quizzed on whether Mainoo could surge back to the top of the pecking order, ex-United and Three Lions winger Sharpe - speaking in association with BetBrain - told GOAL: “That’s a really tough decision for Tuchel. There is an argument for saying that the other two lads have had really tough, long seasons and Kobbie Mainoo has only started the last few games so may be a little bit fresher. Do you go with someone that has played a full season and been consistent or someone that has just come back into the team and has started flying? 

“They are all three top, top players. Obviously I am a little bit biased towards Kobbie and I’d like to see him play. I think Wharton and Anderson are phenomenal players and I don’t think we would suffer if you played any of them, but I’d like to see Kobbie get a game.”

Another ex-England star, Michael Owen, has told DAZN of Mainoo being absorbed back into the international fold: “He most certainly can make a run to make the England squad in the second half of the season for sure.

"You have Elliott Anderson and Declan Rice that are probably going to start at the minute, and then where do you go after that? Wharton will probably go, but outside of that, there is no one in better form in midfield than Mainoo at Man United.

“He has come back into the team and look how Man United are performing now. They are playing with big confidence, and Mainoo has been in the middle of midfield for those games, so he is definitely in with a shout, for sure.”

Tuchel has left the door open for Mainoo to come back into contention, alongside club colleague Harry Maguire, with England preparing to face Uruguay and Japan in a couple of friendly dates at Wembley in late March.

Tuchel has said: “It is great that [Mainoo] is back on the pitch. He is such a huge talent. He has played already a tournament from start to finish for England, so he is back in the picture, so is Luke Shaw and so is Harry [Maguire].

“There are some players suddenly back in the picture, they play a back four now and play with a different style which is a bit easier to translate to our structure at the moment. It's good competition.”

Mainoo will be hoping to earn a recall for the March internationals, allowing him to add to a collection of 10 caps. Positive performances there would give him every chance of earning a place in Tuchel’s 26-man World Cup squad and forming part of a trophy quest that will get underway when facing Croatia on June 17.