Former England international Paul Scholes has argued that it would be detrimental to include Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in Thomas Tuchel’s lineup for the upcoming World Cup round-of-16 match against Mexico. After overcoming a deficit against DR Congo thanks to two late goals from Harry Kane, England is preparing for a difficult fixture at the Azteca Stadium.
Scholes voiced frustration over Tuchel’s decision to bench both Mainoo and Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze throughout the tournament. While fellow ex-player Nicky Butt has publicly suggested that England needs a more creative midfield presence involving either Mainoo or Eze to defeat Mexico, Scholes remains skeptical that the manager will make such a change.
When questioned about why Mainoo was selected for the squad if he was not going to participate, Scholes admitted he was unsure of the reasoning. However, he emphasized that throwing the young player into a high-stakes knockout match after weeks of inactivity would likely be unfair to his development and performance.
