- Former Manchester United keeper does not want Kobbie Mainoo at the World Cup
- Would rather he is rested
- Kobbie Mainoo’s resurgence
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has said he does not want Kobbie Mainoo to head to the World Cup with England, and would prefer the midfielder to stay home and rest.
This stems from his frustration over Luke Shaw travelling to the 2024 European Championship with England after making just 15 appearances for United the season prior. Shaw made just one start for the Three Lions—the final—and by failing to allow his body to rest, heal, and recover, he accelerated his physical decline.
The following season, Shaw missed 54 games, played just 12, and spent 294 days sidelined.
A United trio of Mainoo, Shaw, and Harry Maguire will hope to make the trip to North America, but it appears far more likely that only Mainoo will feature for England.
Thomas Tuchel has until May 30 to submit his squad.
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“We’ve Suffered” – Schmeichel on Mainoo
Speaking on Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt’s podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Football, the three former players were asked whether they believed Mainoo would head to the World Cup.
“Yeah 100%,” Butt replied.
But Schmeichel offered a different response. “Hope not,” he said, prompting a light chuckle from the trio. When Scholes questioned him, the Dane replied, “I was really cross with England, and Luke Shaw, for going to the Euros,” he explained.
“You don’t play a single game [referring to his league season], and then you come back from the Euros having played a game and a half, semi-final and final, and then you’re not playing for six months.
He added:
“I only worry about Man United here. I think we’ve suffered with some of our players with England, and especially this World Cup, which is so long, and you can expect England to go quite a long way in it, I don’t want Man United players to be in that squad, I want them to have a break.”
The Dane’s concerns carry weight among the other podcast members. When Luke Shaw featured at the 2024 European Championship, many United fans reacted with frustration and disbelief that he would push through pain for England, yet remain unavailable for his club.
That frustration only intensified when he sustained three separate injuries during United’s worst season in over 50 years, as the side cried out for a player of his quality.
“A lot of last season I just felt like I let a lot of people down in the club and the team obviously because I was always injured,” Shaw said to ESPN’s Rob Dawson during United’s pre-season tour in Chicago.
“I might not have been, but it was just something in my head where I felt like I found it really hard, I just put a lot of blame on myself.
“I just really felt that I was letting the team down by not being available for a long time.”
Mainoo’s Resurgence
From a more personal standpoint, I do not mind if Mainoo heads to the World Cup. As an English-born Irish supporter rooted in my father, who was born in Cork, I would usually welcome any setback for England.
But Mainoo has earned the right to play, and after limited minutes across a 14-month stretch under former boss Ruben Amorim, a tournament of that scale could help sharpen him further.
On the podcast, Butt added, “I played in one World Cup. The confidence I had when I came back to United in the pre-season, I went from being the one that I thought ‘ain’t going be playing the first game, because he’s going to play [points at Scholes] and Keano [Roy Keane]’ to thinking, ‘no I’m a f****** good player, I’m going to push them out the way'”
Regardless, the decision will not rest with him, and if Mainoo receives the call, he will not turn down the opportunity to represent his country at a World Cup at just 21. With England among the favourites, he could yet return to Old Trafford with a winner’s medal around his neck.
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