Rooney backs Mainoo over Anderson for England’s DR Congo clash

Wayne Rooney wants Kobbie Mainoo in England’s midfield for Wednesday’s last-32 tie with DR Congo, backing the Manchester United player over Elliot Anderson as Thomas Tuchel weighs control against athleticism and risk. The choice has become one of the clearest selection calls of England’s knockout stage.

England reached the round of 32 by winning Group L on seven points, sealing top spot with a 2-0 victory over Panama. Anderson started all three group matches, while Mainoo did not come off the bench at all, leaving the former England captain to argue that Tuchel should change the balance for the first knockout match in Atlanta.

The opponent makes that debate sharper. DR Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 on Saturday, 27 June 2026, to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time and claim their first World Cup win. That turnaround has given them a route into the competition’s second phase with momentum and with less pressure than England, who will be judged on whether they can control a game that now carries elimination stakes.

Rooney’s case for Mainoo rests on more than nostalgia. Mainoo has not won a competitive England cap since September 2024, yet Rooney said he was "gutted" Manchester United did not sign the midfielder and had already sent him a good-luck message before the tournament, telling him to "be yourself" and "you’ll be a star there". Rooney also said England did not need two defensive midfielders in the Ghana game, a view that points toward a more progressive selection in a match that may demand clean passing rather than caution.

Anderson’s rise has made the argument harder to settle. He is close to a club-record £116 million move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, with reports saying he has already completed a medical in Kansas while on England duty. Rooney has warned that big-money moves can fail, comparing the risk to Kalvin Phillips and, to some extent, Jack Grealish, a reminder that England’s midfield debate is now tied to the wider question of whether knockout football rewards control, power or the willingness to take a selection gamble.