Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt has urged Kobbie Mainoo to boycott England’s World Cup third place decider against France on Saturday, while also renewing his call for Thomas Tuchel to be sacked following the Three Lions’ semi final exit to Argentina. 

Butt believes Mainoo should turn down any chance to feature in the game given how he has been treated throughout the tournament.

Mainoo forced his way into Tuchel’s final World Cup squad after an impressive second half of the season at Old Trafford under interim manager Michael Carrick, having previously struggled for game time. Despite that form, the 21 year old failed to play a single minute across England’s entire World Cup campaign, remaining an unused substitute through seven matches before the team’s exit at the semi final stage.

With Tuchel expected to make wholesale changes for the meaningless third place fixture against France, Mainoo is in line to finally get his first taste of tournament action. Butt, however, believes the midfielder should reject the opportunity entirely, arguing that being fit and available only to be handed minutes in what he called a nonsense game after being overlooked throughout the tournament makes little sense.

He said he would simply refuse to play and claim to be injured if he were in Mainoo’s position, warning that risking an injury in a pointless, jumped up friendly could cost the player his entire season.

Beyond his comments on Mainoo, Butt used the platform to intensify his criticism of Tuchel’s overall handling of the tournament, insisting the Football Association should move to axe the German coach following England’s failure to reach the World Cup final. The former United man named Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino as two managers he considers better suited to the England job than Tuchel going forward.

Butt’s comments add to the growing scrutiny facing Tuchel since the Argentina defeat, with the coach’s handling of fringe players like Mainoo throughout the tournament becoming a central point of debate among former England internationals and pundits in the build up to Saturday’s clash with France.

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