Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has explained why the 2026 World Cup with England could be another pivotal moment in the career of Kobbie Mainoo.
Kobbie Mainoo was able to re-establish himself in the England squad during the 2025-26 campaign after his stunning run of form under Michael Carrick.
The 21-year-old Manchester United midfielder’s resurgence in form even led to Thomas Tuchel calling Mainoo up for the Three Lions for the March break.
Mainoo now has a real chance of making England’s World Cup squad, which Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel will take with him to the FIFA tournament this summer.
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Nicky Butt talks up the importance of the World Cup for England and Man Utd star Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo had been a key player for England and had impressed under former Three Lions boss Sir Gareth Southgate during the Euro 2024 final run in Germany.
The Manchester United midfielder has started all but one of Michael Carrick’s 14 Premier League matches in charge at Old Trafford since his January appointment.
Mainoo’s impressive turnaround in form at the Premier League club even led to the England international inking a new long-term deal with Man Utd last week.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Nicky Butt thinks that Mainoo’s confidence will only continue to develop ahead of United’s next season.
“I do think if Kobbie goes [to the World Cup], it will grow his confidence, you have seen how much he has grown in the last 12 weeks,” he said.
“I think when you’re young and if you look at his body type and you say, ‘Now he looks fit and leaner.’
“I think when you’re 21, you’re playing and it’s different when you’re 28, 29. But when you’re 21, [you] could run every day, all day, every day.
“If he had played the whole season, I’d get that as well. But he has had five months off. He didn’t kick a football for months under [Ruben] Amorim.”
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Mainoo played in both of England’s international friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley under Thomas Tuchel during the March international break.
Butt believes that an injection of confidence from England’s World Cup campaign would only put Mainoo in a better position for United going into the 2026-27 season.
“So if he goes to the World Cup, and I played in one World Cup and did well, and the confidence I had after it when I came back to United in the pre-season, I went from being the one that I thought isn’t going to be playing the first game, to just thinking, ‘No, I’m a good player and I can show I’m going to do,’” he added.
“I’m going to push them out of the way. And the confidence coming from that [World Cup], and if you got that, it’ll only be brilliant for Man United.”
England will play New Zealand and Costa Rica in international friendlies in June ahead of their first World Cup clash against Croatia in Group L on 17th June.
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