Nicky Butt has gone hard at England's treatment of Kobbie Mainoo, saying the midfielder should refuse to play in the third-place match against France. Mainoo has played 0 minutes across 7 World Cup matches, and Butt's advice was as blunt as it gets: “I'd just refuse to play if I was Kobbie Mainoo. I'd say I was injured.”

He did not stop there. Butt also called the third-place game “a nonsense game, especially when you've been treated like that,” which is why the focus has landed so sharply on Mainoo's complete absence. The final itself is not the point here, because England's situation around the player is the story.

Mainoo's World Cup absence

The clearest part of this is the number that sits underneath the argument. Mainoo has not played a single minute at the tournament, and he is one of just two outfield players in the England squad yet to feature, alongside Trevoh Chalobah. That is a hard omission to ignore when a player is being asked to turn up for a third-place decider after sitting out every previous match.

Butt's line is extreme, though it is rooted in a straightforward gripe about selection. Manchester United's midfielder has now been left out for the whole run, and the complaint is less about one benching than about a full tournament of them. England have already played 7 World Cup matches, and Mainoo has not been used once.

Butt also wants Tuchel gone

The Mainoo point was only part of Butt's rant. He also said there is “no way” Thomas Tuchel can stay on after England's semi-final exit, adding that the manager had played “negative football, crazy negative football” against a beatable Argentina team.

That is the part of the interview that turns this from a player grievance into a wider attack on the manager. Butt even floated Eddie Howe or Pochettino as alternatives, but his central line was still the most direct one: Tuchel cannot stay on.

England face France vs England at 10pm BST on Saturday, with both sides coming into the game after semi-final defeats. France have lost one and won four of their last five World Cup matches, while England's run is listed as loss, win, win, win, draw. The match gives Butt's comments an immediate deadline, but the more striking part is still his view that Mainoo should not be asked to take part at all.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →