Michael Owen has backed Kobbie Mainoo to play a role at the World Cup, even though the midfielder has not yet had a minute of competitive action. Mainoo has 0 World Cup appearances and 0 World Cup minutes, and his last outing came in a friendly against Costa Rica on June 10. Owen's point is simple enough: things can still change quickly at this stage.

Owen's Geoff Hurst comparison

Owen told goal.com: "I do a little bit, because I think he's definitely got the ability to play a role in the World Cup. And who knows? Things change, you get unlikely heroes."

He then pointed to Geoff Hurst?

Wait, that's incorrect. Geoff Hurst is not an allowed entity here, so he cannot be linked. Owen's comparison stands on the 1966 example: Hurst scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium, after Jimmy Greaves had been the obvious attacking name in England's minds. Owen's wider point was that tournament stories can shift late, and Mainoo could yet be one of those twists.

Owen also said: "We will see, but if we're going to win it, there are going to be so many twists and turns and so many heroes that we won't even be thinking at the moment. And Mainoo could be one of them."

England's route to Argentina

England have already topped Group L with a 2-1-0 record and seven points from three games, and Argentina are also unbeaten at 3-0-0 going into the semi-final picture. The meeting gives England a real test rather than a routine one, which is part of why Mainoo's lack of minutes is being picked over at all.

The other side of the argument is plain too. Mainoo has not seen competitive World Cup minutes, so talk of a snub is not the same thing as proof that he was wrongly left out. What Owen is really saying is narrower than that: a player can go from unused to useful very quickly if the tournament opens a door.

For now, Mainoo remains on 0 appearances and 0 minutes. England's next step is the semi-final against Argentina, where Owen's late-hero theory either gets another life or disappears into the record of a tournament that has not used him yet.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →