- Kobbie Mainoo, 19, started all four of England’s knockout matches at Euro 2024
- The midfielder struggled to make an impact as Spain beat England 2-1 in the final
- Graeme Souness also criticised Declan Rice for posting an ‘impossible’ statistic
Graeme Souness has criticised Kobbie Mainoo for ‘not understanding his position’ after England’s crushing 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Manchester United midfielder had his breakthrough season at Old Trafford last season, where he became a regular under Erik ten Hag, before earning his stripes with the Three Lions ahead of the European Championship.
Mainoo started the tournament on the bench as Gareth Southgate experimented with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher alongside Declan Rice in midfield during the group stage, but he started all four knockout matches after impressing as a substitute.
The teenager shone as one of England’s best players against Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands to secure a place in the final after just eight caps for his country.
Mainoo struggled to make an impact during the highlight in Berlin and was replaced midway through the second half by substitute Cole Palmer, who scored a stunning equaliser from outside the penalty area and Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winning goal for Spain in the 86th minute.
Graeme Souness has criticised Kobbie Mainoo (centre) for ‘not understanding his position’ during England’s heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday night
Souness branded the Man United star ‘naive’ for often being brought out of midfield
Mainoo started all four of England’s knockout matches before being substituted in the final
While Souness admitted that Mainoo is ‘very talented on the ball’, he criticised the youngster for his ‘naivety’ in an England shirt, claiming he ‘strays’ too far from his midfield position.
“I think he’s really good with the ball, he’s very talented with the ball,” Souness told the Up Front Podcast.
‘But he doesn’t quite understand the position. He wanders, he clears the middle of the field too quickly.
‘I watched him play against Iceland (in England’s final pre-2024 friendly) and he kept getting thrown left and right.
‘He came on as a substitute when we were 1-0 up (in England’s opening Euro 2024 match against Serbia) and the first thing he did was go after the goalkeeper and try to put him under pressure.
“It’s naivety, he still has to learn the game,” Souness concluded.
The former Liverpool midfielder also criticised England’s style of play during the final, focusing in particular on Rice’s lack of ambition.
‘England were at their best when they were a goal down,’ he added. ‘Suddenly they started taking risks. They had to be braver and risk making a mistake, risk playing the ball forward or trying to play someone in.
‘Instead they just went sideways or backwards and that drove me crazy in the final, as it did the whole tournament.
Mainoo had his breakthrough season at Manchester United last season under Erik ten Hag
Souness also criticised Declan Rice for making only one forward pass in the final against Spain
Gareth Southgate stepped down as England manager on Tuesday after almost eight years
‘I did some research and found that Declan Rice only completed one forward pass against Spain. One completed forward pass in 90 minutes for a midfielder… that’s impossible!’
Southgate stepped down as England manager on Tuesday after nearly eight years in charge. The Football Association (FA) shortlisted five potential successors, including Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, England U21 manager Lee Carsley and three former Chelsea managers: Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Graham Potter.
