Graeme Souness has criticised Kobbie Mainoo for ‘not understanding his position’ after England’s crushing 2-1 defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final last Sunday.
The Manchester United midfielder, 19, enjoyed his breakthrough season at Old Trafford last campaign, establishing himself as a regular under Erik ten Hag before earning his stripes with the Three Lions ahead of the European Championship.
Mainoo began the tournament on the bench — as Gareth Southgate experimented during the group stage with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher alongside Declan Rice in midfield — but started all four knockout matches after frequently impressing as a substitute.
The teenager shone as one of England’s brightest players against Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands, earning his place for the final after just eight caps for his country.
Mainoo struggled to make an impact during the showpiece in Berlin and was hooked off midway through the second half for substitute Cole Palmer, who cancelled out Nico Williams’ strike with a superb equaliser from outside the box before Mikel Oyarzabal scored a heartbreaking 86th-minute winning goal for Spain.
Despite admitting that Mainoo is ‘very talented on the ball’, Souness criticised the youngster for his ‘naivety’ in an England shirt, claiming that he ‘wanders’ too far from his position in midfield.
‘I think he’s really good on the ball, he’s very talented on the ball,’ Souness told the Up Front podcast.
Cedit: dailymail.co.uk
