{
  "id": 6707891,
  "title": "EPL: Owen Hargreaves backs Kobbie Mainoo to become world’s best player",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/epl-owen-hargreaves-backs-kobbie-mainoo-to-become-worlds-best-player",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T04:47:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/11/epl-owen-hargreaves-backs-kobbie-mainoo-to-become-worlds-best-player/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Manchester United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has expressed his belief that Kobbie Mainoo has the potential to become the best player in the world. Hargreaves made this statement following Manchester United's 4-0 victory over Sabah in the Champions League at Old Trafford. This marked United's first appearance in Europe's top competition since 2023.\n\nMatheus Cunha put United ahead in the 27th minute, followed by goals from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko, which solidified the team's lead by halftime. Lisandro Martinez added a fourth goal in the second half, capitalizing on a goalkeeping mistake, to give United a comfortable win in front of their home crowd.\n\nDespite making several lineup changes for the Champions League, manager Michael Carrick maintained his preferred midfield combination of Youri Tielemans and Mainoo. Mainoo, who had seen a decrease in playing time under Ruben Amorim, has since rebounded under Carrick's guidance. Hargreaves praised Mainoo, stating that he has never witnessed poor performance from the young player.\n\nHargreaves remarked, \"I've never seen Kobbie play bad [football]. Every time I watch him play football, I think, 'How can somebody not play this young man?'\" He emphasized Mainoo's potential, saying, \"I just think he's a fabulous football player. Academy-grown, didn't cost a club a pound, and when you think about some of the fees that these players are going for. 'What would Kobbie be worth? It's worth more than them all. No disrespect to any of them, but I just love his game. I think Kobbie can kind of do everything in there. He's a star. I think he's gonna be a superstar.\"",
  "summary": "Former Manchester United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has said that Kobbie Mainoo has the potential to emerge as the best player in the world. He said this after Manchester United secured a decisive victory in the Champions League against Sabah on Thursday night. Returning to Europe’s top competition for the first time since 2023, United achieved […] EPL: Owen Hargreaves backs Kobbie…",
  "key_points": [
    "Owen Hargreaves believes Kobbie Mainoo can become world's best player.",
    "Manchester United won 4-0 in Champions League against Sabah.",
    "Mainoo improved under Michael Carrick's guidance."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Owen Hargreaves' endorsement of Kobbie Mainoo as a potential world-class player validates the young midfielder's recent form under manager Michael Carrick and suggests a bright future for the academy-grown talent.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}