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Critical pundit Graeme Souness vilified Manchester United's midfielder for interpreting his role poorly.
Mainoo, 19, broke out in the 2023/24 season, establishing himself as an integral member of Erik ten Hag’s squad. He earned himself an England call-up and forced himself into Gareth Southgate's set up and in accessing the teenager's performance, Souness accused him of interpreting his role poorly.
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What Souness said
Southgate favours a double pivot in midfield and has struggled to find a permanent partner for Declan Rice following the falloff of Kalvin Philips.
Early into the European Championship, he deployed Trent Alexander-Arnold in the role and also tried Connor Gallagher in the position, but neither had the desired effect.
Mainoo was introduced someway into the tournament, and he fit like a glove, earning plaudits for his performance. However, Souness, who was a renowned midfielder in the 70s and 80s for Liverpool, has reservations.
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“I think he’s really good on the ball; he’s very talented on the ball,” Souness said on The Up Front podcast, per Sports Joe. “But he doesn’t fully understand the position. He wanders; he empties the middle of the field too readily.
“I watched him against Iceland (in England’s final Euro 2024 warm-up game)." He came on as a substitute when holding onto a 1-0 lead (in the Euro 2024 opener against Serbia) and the first thing he did was chase down the goalkeeper and try to put him under pressure. “It’s naivety; he’s still learning the game.”
Souness is a pundit associated with harsh criticism, with ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba bearing the brunt of some of his infamous work. With that as the backdrop, Souness’s criticism of Mainoo has not been well taken by Red Devils faithfuls.
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