Hargreaves ready for United return

Owen Hargreaves' surgeon has suggested the player could make his comeback on Saturday.


It is now over two years since Hargreaves started a meaningful senior match for the Red Devils after he was struck down by an acute form of tendinitis in his knees, which he first experienced during his time at Bayern Munich.
Two operations and an extensive period of rehabilitation seemed to have put the 29-year-old back on track by the end of last season, when he completed 45 minutes in a reserve match and was then introduced as an injury-time substitute at Sunderland as United challenged for the Barclays Premier League title.

Yet the midfielder's hopes of being fit for the start of this season were wrecked when he experienced more discomfort after his return to training, and he was dispatched back to Colorado by Sir Alex Ferguson for more work with Dr Richard Steadman, who has built his reputation rescuing the careers of people like Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have ruptured cruciate ligaments.

Hargreaves is aware there cannot be many more attempts to salvage his career, and knew his return to England would probably represent his last try.