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| [photo by Gordon Flood] |
- by Hiten Mandalia, writing from West London
Manchester United had been tracking Hargreaves in the summer of 2006 after the World Cup, but Bayern Munich’s consistant refusal to sell meant that United had to back out. Despite not getting there player in 2006, United still showed a keen interest in Hargreaves throughout the 2006/07 season. Eventually, in the summer of 2007, Ferguson got his man.
In what proved to be a good signing, United supporters had thought they had found an ideal replacement for Roy Keane. A few games under his belt and a free kick against Arsenal, proved that Hargraves was a player ready to reach new heights at Old Trafford, but that was soon to be short lived.
Hargreaves had a successful first season at Old Trafford, winning the Premiership and scoring a penalty in the shootout against Chelsea, in order for Manchester United to win a third European Cup. That proved to be Hargreaves last major success.
A series of injuries left Hargreaves on the sideline, but he managed to get back into action in October 2008. He played a few times, before he was struck by injury again, which forced him to miss the rest of the season. He didn’t get much playing time the season after, and he played a few minutes in the 2010/11 season.
After recovering from injury, he was ready to play in the Champions League, but he was injured in training yet again. A shoulder injury forced him out for the rest of the season and Ferguson had indicated that Hargreaves wouldn’t play for the remainder of the season.
With his contract expiring in the summer, Ferguson has to decide whether to offer him a new contract or to release him. If the club decided to let him go, then Hargreaves will have to decide if he wants to retire, or if he thinks he’s still capable of playing at the highest level and if he can be injury free for a year or so. It’ll be a tough call for Manchester United and it’ll be a tough decisin for Hargreaves on a personal level.
He was a good player at Bayern Munich and he was a good player at Manchester United. However, a seris of injuries has cut his career short by three years at least. It’s unfortunate, as he had the ability and the potential to succeed at Old Trafford. Despite saying that, he’s won the Champions League, with both Bayern and United, he’s won the Bundesliga and the Premiership. It’s not like he’s been left empty handed. He’s won trophies and medals, and been on the winning side more often then not.
It would be a blow to football in general if Owen Hargreaves does decide to retire, as he still has another six years left in him and he’s been a true footballer. He was part of the England squad that reached the quarter finals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Whatever happens with Hargreaves, it will be known that his career was struck by injuries and he couldn’t fulfill his potential at Old Trafford. On a positive note, he managed to win the Champions League, which is the pinnacle achievement of any footballer.
