Barthez: Menu should refuse to play in the third-place match; he is disliked by Tuchel and the match is meaningless.

Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt believes Kobe Mayu should refuse to play in England's World Cup third-place match against France.

The Three Lions player has yet to make an appearance in this World Cup, but he could be included in Tuchel's starting lineup for Saturday's "bronze medal final." These final matches of major tournaments often provide an opportunity for squad rotation—giving playing time to players who haven't had many opportunities before.

England has several players like this, but Menu is the one that is most popular among outsiders.

Bart told Metro: "I don't know what happened there, something's not right. Now they're going to put a 'bomb squad' in that stupid third-place match."

“If I were Kobe Mayu, I would refuse to play. I would say I was injured. It’s a pointless game, especially after you’ve been treated like that. He hasn’t played a single minute and now he’s going to start in this pointless, upgraded friendly, and he might get injured and affect his whole season… No.”

Reports indicate that Menu is more frustrated with his position in the team than other players. Others claim that Tuchel was not satisfied with his performance in training before the match against Ghana – although this contradicts claims that Menu gave his all regardless.

For Barth, all of this was extremely confusing.

Butt continued, "Right now, it seems like anyone can play for Tuchel except Kobe Mayu. He's playing Reece James, who hasn't played for three weeks due to a hamstring injury. Only Tuchel knows why, and I don't think Mayu is a problem within the team. But every coach has their favorite players, which is certainly true."

Butt had already taken this stance before England's semi-final against Argentina. He said at the time: "You know what? I actually hope Kobe Mayu doesn't play right now. Because he's probably already very disappointed. He hasn't played a game, hasn't touched the ball in an official match. He's been training, of course, but if he plays now, all he can do is cause trouble. He's not in the form required for a semi-final. I hope he doesn't play. For Tuchel, anyone can play, but it's not Mayu's turn. He won't be the first player to go to the World Cup and not play a single minute; many others have done that before."