Inter · Copa America · Attacker · #10 · Argentina · 28 yrs
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher (Picture: CBS Sports Golazo) Jamie Carragher believes Manchester United haven’t got the quality to be a serious Champions League contender this season. Back in the competition for the first time since 2023, United got their league phase underway with a routine 4-0 win over Azerbaijani side Sabah. Matheus Cunha opened the scoring before a quickfire double from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko put Michael Carrick’s side in full control at the break. Lisandro Martinez made the most of a goalkeeping mistake to get on the scoresheet in the second half as the Red Devils got back to winning ways ahead of Sunday’s highly-anticipated Manchester derby. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. United failed to get out of the group stages during their last appearance in the Champions League, but will look to avoid that fate in the revamped league phase this time around. And while off to an encouraging start at Old Trafford, former Champions League winner Carragher is not convinced that the Red Devils will be serious contenders come the business end of the tournament. ‘Probably not just yet,’ Carragher told CBS Sports when asked if United could contend in this year’s Champions League. Manchester United eased to victory against Sabah (Picture: Getty) ‘Manchester United have been out of the competition for a couple of years, but it’s not even like a couple of years ago they were in it consistently anyway. I think they’ve probably been in it once in five or six years, something like that. ‘So even though they are one of the biggest names in world football, I think once you get back in it for the first time for a while, I think the first target will be to make sure they get through the league phase, and then when you get to the knockout stage, can you get a nice run? Can you almost get to maybe a quarterfinal? Something like that. ‘Now, I’m not trying to be patronising in any way. Manchester United, as I’ve just said, are one of the biggest clubs in the world. ‘But to go into it now with the squad that they’ve got and expect them to sort of do big things and take on other clubs with their type of name, they just haven’t got the quality right now, I think, to go deep into the competition.’ Michael Carrick picked up his first managerial win in the Champions League (Picture: Getty) Thierry Henry, meanwhile, believes a clash with Atletico Madrid next month will give a clearer indication of United’s potential in this year’s competition. ‘That was the perfect game to have at home to start the Champions League and be back in it,’ Henry added. ‘At the weekend, that’s when you can see what that team is, and then after, we can have a confirmation maybe after against Atletico Madrid [in matchday three]. But we will see. ‘It’s too early. It’s very difficult to know. Some players left at halftime. Not everybody started because you play City at the weekend. But look, they played against Sabah, they won.’ Assessing his side’s performance on the night, Carrick told TNT Sports: ‘It’s nice to keep a clean sheet and obviously win the game. Some of the football we played was really good, dangerous on transition. I have to give them a lot of credit, they were difficult to play against. ‘The result looks comfortable, it wasn’t always like that. We just did a lot of good things tonight, which gave us a good result.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Manchester United marked their Champions League return with a 4-0 rout of Sabah on Thursday, with Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez scoring. Bayern Munich thrashed Bodo/Glimt 5-0 as Ballon d'Or nominees Michael Olise struck twice and Harry Kane scored, while Cesc Fabregas's Como impressed on their competition debut.
Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves (Picture: Getty) Owen Hargreaves believes Kobbie Mainoo can become one of the world’s best as Manchester United cruised to victory in the Champions League over Sabah. Back in Europe’s premier competition for the first time since 2023, United eased to a 4-0 win over the tournament debutants at Old Trafford. Matheus Cunha opened the scoring after 27 minutes before quickfire goals from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko put Michael Carrick’s side in total control at half-time. Lisandro Martinez made the most of a goalkeeper mistake to add United’s fourth in the second half as the Red Devils strolled to a comfortable victory in front of their own fans. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. With a derby against Manchester City on Sunday, Carrick made a few changes to his side for Thursday’s win, but the United boss kept with his preferred duo of Youri Tielemans and Mainoo in the heart of midfield. After falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo has come back into the fold under Carrick and thrived in the second half of last season as the Red Devils got themselves back into the top four. The 21-year-old had a difficult summer with England at the World Cup, but looks to have put that behind him after his latest commanding performance for United. Kobbie Mainoo started against Sabah on Thursday (Picture: Getty) And former Red Devils midfielder Hargreaves was full of praise for Mainoo, insisting the academy graduate can become the heartbeat of United’s midfield and a world-class operator in years to come. ‘I’ve never seen Kobbie play bad,’ Hargreaves told TNT Sports. ‘Every time I watch him play football, I think, “How can somebody not play this young man?” ‘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. Kobbie Mainoo completed 81/83 passes, 6/6 accurate long balls and 10 passes into final third on his full Champions League debut ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/NK9BIGvc4m— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 10, 2026 ‘Obviously, they signed Santos and Tielemans for 85 [million] combined. Baleba was probably 70million. What would Kobbie be worth? It’s worth more than them all. No disrespect to any of them, but I just love his game.’ Hargreaves continued: ‘I think he can do so much, and it only really depends on who he plays with and who plays next to him. But I think Kobbie can kind of do everything in there. ‘You can just pass him the ball anywhere at any time. Technically, just so gifted, glides with the ball. That’s what a Man United midfielder needs to do at all times. Obviously, with Bruno in front of him, whether he plays as a six or an eight, he’s what you build around. Mainoo has thrived under Michael Carrick’s tutelage (Picture: Getty) ‘He’s a star. I think he’s gonna be a superstar. He’s only 21 years old, and he plays like he’s 30. That’s how he plays football in the most stressful environment – just chilled. ‘United have got to find who’s going to be Kobbie’s partner because he’s going to be at this club hopefully for a very long time. ‘I think there’s a potential to be one of the best midfield players in the world, but it’s more about personnel and who plays alongside him to get the best out of his attributes.’ Speaking about Mainoo’s performance at full-time, United boss Carrick said: ‘He’s a fantastic player, I think it’s pretty obvious to see with the way he;s performing, playing that little bit deeper and starting the attacks and having a massive influence on our games. ‘He’s a real joy to have; he wants to learn, he wants to improve and he expresses himself on the pitch. It’s great to see.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add
⚽️ Champions League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off⚽️ Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And mail DanielIt’s also worth noting that Patrick Dorgu starts at left-back tonight, for the first time under Carrick. Bought for Ruben Amorim, really he’s a specialist wing-back – not a defender because his awareness isn’t great, nor his ability to pass the ball out from the back, nor a winger because he lacks finesse and one-on-one ability – he starts at the back tonight mainly because Shaw is rested and there’s no better option. But if he’s to have a future as a starter, it feels much more likely it’ll be at the back than in attack – though, as we’ve seen he’s got a worldie in him.Thinking more about that United defence, this is a big evening for Leny Yoro. He was pretty good in his first season at Old Trafford, but didn’t get to play much last; ultimately, Carrick couldn’t afford to risk him because he had a formula that worked – Maguire and Martinez, plus fast counters – with points to win and a job to secure. Continue reading...
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