Manchester United legend tells Gareth Southgate to drop Kobbie Mainoo, it’s ridiculous

Kobbie Mainoo has been exceptional when called upon for England during the 2024 European Championships, but a Manchester United legend has called for him to be dropped.

England have triumphantly advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 European Championships following a thrilling 2-1 victory over Slovakia last Sunday afternoon.

Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane were the heroes of the tie, netting pivotal goals on either side of the 90-minute mark. Their efforts secured England’s place in the final eight, where they are set to face Switzerland in what promises to be an electrifying encounter with the Swiss team on fire at the tournament.

Read More: Manchester United ‘react’ to “too good” Bruno Fernandes offer from Saudi Arabia

While some England players faced criticism for their performances, Manchester United‘s young star, Kobbie Mainoo, delivered an outstanding display in his first competitive start for the national team.

His exceptional performance has been a bright spot and has garnered praise from fans and pundits alike. Since his introduction into the XI, he has added a fresh spark to England’s campaign.

While Mainoo is now set to start against Switzerland, former United striker Teddy Sheringham, who secured legendary status at Old Trafford after his goal in the 1999 Champions League final, feels that Mainoo should be dropped for winger Anthony Gordon.

“I thought Kobbie Mainoo did very well,” he told Poker Sites. “He’s very comfortable on the ball and had no problems at all. He’s a natural midfield player, which means it’s going to come naturally to him.

“I don’t like Trent Alexander-Arnold coming in there – I know he can find an unbelievable pass, but that’s not everything about playing in midfield. Mainoo looks a better fit for the role.

“Having said that, I would actually leave Mainoo out of the next game to allow Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham to play in midfield together with Declan Rice behind him. I’d bring in Anthony Gordon at left wing just to give the team some sort of release to relieve pressure. He can run onto those balls over the top and get the defence thinking about something different.

“At the moment, everyone wants the ball to feet, which is making everything very tight and allows the opposition to come close to you. Gordon on the left would allow us to get in behind the defence more.

“I can see that benefitting Harry Kane, too – if he drops to receive the ball, Gordon can make those runs to stretch the defence, and all of a sudden, defenders won’t get as close to Kane anymore. That could be invaluable in the next few games.”

This suggestion is ridiculous. England were poor against Slovakia despite their 2-1 win, but Mainoo was brilliant. He played 86 minutes and was able to adjust to life on the international stage. While Gordon has been fantastic for Newcastle, Mainoo is not the man to drop him for.

It has been well documented that Foden has not performed so far this campaign due to his unnatural position on the left wing. Just because he won the Premier League Player of the Season award does not mean he must play. In tournament football, if your player is not performing, for whatever reason, they must be dropped.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.