Reasons behind Manchester United's new star's zero appearances at the World Cup revealed! Tuchel dissatisfied with his attitude, always walking alone after matches

Due to Carrick giving him a new lease of life after becoming manager, Manchester United's 21-year-old midfield sensation Kobbie Mainoo secured a late spot in the World Cup squad. Yet his time at the tournament has been disappointing, as he has yet to play a single minute, making him the sole non-goalkeeper among the 13 United players at the World Cup who hasn't taken the field.

It remains unclear whether England manager Thomas Tuchel intends to include Mainoo in Saturday's third-place play-off against France, but the situation is already clear: not only Arsenal star Declan Rice and Manchester City's £116 million record signing Elliott Anderson are preferred over Mainoo, but veteran Jordan Henderson also ranks ahead of the Manchester United prodigy.

According to the Daily Mail, Tuchel had planned to give Mainoo a chance, but his training performance failed to impress the manager. Before the second group stage match against Ghana, the England team had Mainoo partner Anderson in central midfield during training. The two had started together in a pre-World Cup friendly against Japan, leading Manchester United fans to hope that Anderson might choose to join their club.

Unfortunately, Mainoo's training display reportedly failed to satisfy Tuchel, so he insisted on keeping Rice in the starting lineup. Additionally, British media claim that Tuchel also had reservations about Mainoo's attitude off the pitch. After almost every match, Mainoo is the first England player to leave the stadium, always alone with his headphones on, appearing unsociable. Perhaps that's because Mainoo is the only Manchester United player in this "Three Lions" squad.

In any case, the outcome was that Tuchel made several rotations for the final group stage match against Panama, yet still didn't give the Manchester United academy prodigy any playing time, surprising many fans. Tuchel chose to drop attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham deeper to partner Anderson in defensive midfield.

It is understood that after Mainoo featured in pre-World Cup friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica, his performances were generally deemed acceptable, but Tuchel did not believe he could make a significant impact. Even in games where the result was already decided or in meaningless matches, Tuchel did not choose this Manchester United talent.

Not to mention the crucial knockout matches, such as the semi-final when leading 1-0 against Argentina, Tuchel didn't bring on Mainoo, who is known for his calm ball retention. Instead, he opted for the whole team to drop deep, which ultimately led to Argentina's comeback and a heartbreaking defeat.

Manchester United legend Roy Keane questioned this decision, saying: "If Mainoo had been brought on, he might have drawn a free kick with his dribbling, giving the team some breathing space."

The BBC reported that at least three senior England players privately complained about the team's approach in the final stages of the match. However, Tuchel insisted that he did not instruct the team to drop so deep. The German said: "Perhaps controlling the game and possession is not in our DNA."

After the England-Argentina match, Argentina's Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez embraced and comforted the young Mainoo. The latter had already experienced setbacks last season; in the first half of the season under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo failed to make a single Premier League start due to his inability to adapt to the midfield role in a 3-4-3 formation.

The manager's choices are certainly a factor, but Mainoo himself also needs to consider improving his versatility, rather than being content with the status quo and relying solely on talent. Under Carrick's management, he has shown improvement in defensive effort, but it is clearly not enough.

Casemiro has left Manchester United, with Tielemans and André Santos joining the club. Carrick will likely sign another defensive midfielder, and Mainoo needs to become stronger and more versatile to face new challenges. Although Mainoo is an academy "prince" who has just signed a new contract with a pay raise, and will surely receive the club's focused development, if he doesn't strive for continuous improvement, he could become another Rashford.