"Kobbie Mainoo has cut a pretty forlorn-looking figure at this World Cup." That is the verdict on the teenager who started the Euro 2024 final at 18, yet has not been handed a single minute at this tournament. He is one of three players Thomas Tuchel has frozen out entirely. The snub stung hardest against Norway. When a virus left Declan Rice with only 45 minutes in the tank, the manager turned to Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and even the injured Reece James in midfield.
Mainoo is on his own. He is always first out of the dressing room and climbs onto the team bus without his teammates. Yet reporters are quick to add a caveat: "he has not been sulking. But he has looked a little lost." As England prepare for a semi-final against Argentina, the American dream has become, for the young star, a reality spent on a cold bench.
