“George Best coming through…”: Owen Hargreaves compares “special” player to United legend

Kobbie Mainoo delivered another masterclass in Manchester United’s 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday, 7 February. The Englishman has been heavily involved with the first team since Ruben Amorim’s departure at the turn of the year. Mainoo, who was a peripheral figure under the Portuguese head coach, found a new lease of life after Michael Carrick took charge as caretaker manager in the middle of last month. The 20 year old was completely overlooked by Amorim earlier this season, making 11 appearances in the Premier League, all of which were from the bench. Mainoo’s only start under the former head coach came in the disastrous EFL Cup second round defeat to minnows Grimsby Town. The situation had pushed the highly rated young midfielder to the brink of an exit from the Theatre of Dreams in the winter transfer window. However, Carrick’s arrival ended all talk of an exit, and has seen Mainoo start the last four games in the league, with the Red Devils winning all of them. Indispensable for United Amorim’s departure saw United shift away from his controversial 3-4-3 system that had no room for the Englishman and move to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where the young midfielder has been afforded the freedom to express himself. The Englishman has subsequently forged a solid partnership with Casemiro in the middle of the park, while the system has also allowed Bruno Fernandes to operate in his preferred No. 10 position. The Red Devils’ midfield trident has been in spectacular form, but it is perhaps the Englishman’s redemption that has been most pleasing to the fans. After stellar performances against Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham, Mainoo retained his place in midfield alongside the veteran Brazilian against Spurs this weekend. On Saturday, the youngster once again proved how unfair it was for him to warm the bench for the first half of the season. Mainoo set up Bryan Mbeumo to score the opening goal of the game from a cleverly planned corner kick, and bossed the midfield once again. Kobbie Mainoo Premier League Stats: 2025/26 Season StatisticValue Appearances (Sub)16 (12) Assists2 XG0.17 XA0.55 Shots On Target Outside the Box4 Touches in the Opposition Box12 Crosses (Completed %)6 (50%) Passes (Completed %)371 (89%) Long Passes (Completed %)17 (65%) Corners Taken1 Minutes Played587 Dribbles (Completed %)15 (53%) Duels Won39 Aerial Duels Won8 Total Tackles15 Interceptions3 Blocks3 Red Cards0 Yellow Cards0 Fouls6 Offsides1 Source: Premier League website. The Englishman’s performance drew widespread acclaim and has now seen him compared to a United legend. The new George Best Speaking to TNT Sports, as cited by the Football365, former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves reserved special praise for his countryman, even comparing him to the legendary George Best. He said: “I’ve never watched Kobbie play and he’s not played like that. I’ve never seen him have a bad game.” “I can’t believe how talented the kid is. This club is all about producing academy players and he is a fantastic one. When you think about the days of George Best coming through playing with flair and with risk, Kobbie is that type of player.” “He takes the ball at any point and you can pass it to him anywhere on the pitch and he looks like he’s playing the park with his mates. It’s a credit to him. He is so comfortable on the ball and he is so humble. He’s going to be a really special player.” Final Thoughts Mainoo signed with United as a seven year old, joined the academy two years later and rose through the ranks to break into the first team under former manager Erik ten Hag. He is Manchester-born and bred, and has all the elements to become an Old Trafford legend. Featured image George Wood via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.