Michael Carrick is confident that Kobbie Mainoo's trip to the World Cup was an invaluable experience, despite the Manchester United midfielder not playing a single minute at the competition.

Mainoo was included in Thomas Tuchel's 26-man squad for the tournament in North America, where the Three Lions finished third.

They were beaten 2-1 by Argentina in the semi-finals before overcoming France 6-4 in a chaotic third-place play-off – clinching their best-ever World Cup result on foreign soil.

But on an individual level, the tournament was far from a success for Mainoo. With Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson trusted as Tuchel's first-choice midfield pairing, the 21-year-old did not get any minutes at all, with an injury denying him a chance to impress in the third-place play-off. 

The only other player in Tuchel's squad that did not get on the pitch at any point was third-choice goalkeeper James Trafford. 

Mainoo is now back in training with United, who face Hull City in their opening Premier League fixture of 2026-27 on August 22.

Rather than it being a wasted trip, Carrick believes Mainoo will have taken valuable lessons from the World Cup.

"I spoke to him all the way through the World Cup," Carrick said. "It's challenging, we all see from the outside the glitz, the glamour, the positive side of football, but players are human beings and we all have our ups and downs, so it's important that we support each other.

"It was a good experience for Kobbie to go there and it's a World Cup – to be there is a big step. 

"He's still such a young man and he's achieved so much, so quickly. To be at the stage he's at is an achievement, but it's frustrating when you want to play and have an impact.

"If you're not, that has its own challenges, but he's come back, he's been in great spirits this week, and it's nice for him to be home and looking forward to the new season."

Asked if he felt Tuchel should have given Mainoo a chance, Carrick said: "Everyone's got their opinion. 

"There's a whole squad of good players, that's why it's the World Cup and it's England, so it's not for me to [criticise].

"The biggest thing for me is that Kobbie's in a really good place. I think he feels that. He's ready for a big season, and seeing him this week, it's been great to have him back."

Mainoo will have more competition for minutes at club level this season, after United clinched the signings of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.

Those are the only notable incomings at Old Trafford this summer, though, with Karl Darlow also arriving from Leeds United to serve as backup to goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

And Carrick knows further reinforcements are a must, saying: "We want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that. Money's money, I get that. 

"We feel like we have to be pushing for everything we're involved in, while being realistic about what the recent history has looked like over a period of time.

"For now, we've got to make the most of it, but we've got to push every boundary we can to be able to win again, basically. That's the challenge."