Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Premier League - Hargreaves out for five weeks

Luckless Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves is set to be ruled out for five weeks with a hamstring injury.
He suffered yet more injury misery on Saturday when he trudged off shaking his head just five minutes into his long-awaited return.
More than two years since his last start, in which time chronic tendinitis in his knees has cursed his career, he was recalled to face Wolverhampton Wanderers after illness swept the Old Trafford club but the 29-year-old's joy turned to despair.
Now Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the player, who cost £17 million from Bayern Munich in 2007 but has become the club's forgotten man, will be out of action until the middle of next month although it is possible Hargreaves could play some part in the Christmas programme.
"We were at the stage where we knew Owen's knee was okay," Ferguson told Key 103.
"His training performances for eight or nine days previously had been terrific.
"He had done really well, which is why we took the chance.
"But maybe the tension in the build-up for the lad was too much and he suffered because of it."
The former England midfielder's career has stalled at United as he battles the knee problems that have required surgery in the United States.
Before Saturday, Hargreaves last started a game in September 2008 against Chelsea and has since made just one brief appearances as a substitute at the end of last season.
Ryan Giggs has also been ruled out of Wednesday's Manchester derby and there is only an outside chance that Nani will recover from the groin injury he suffered in last week's Champions League triumph over Bursaspor.
The veteran Welshman was hoping to make a record 34th derby appearance at Eastlands but after feeling the hamstring injury that has kept him on the sidelines for all but one of United's last nine games in a session just prior to Saturday's win over Wolves, Ferguson has reluctantly ruled Giggs out of his plans.
Ferguson is crossing his fingers that the virus that has swept the camp since their return from Turkey last week does not wreck their bid for a derby-day win.
After losing several key players for the weekend win over Wolves, Ferguson had to send more home from training on Monday - reportedly as many as 10 players have had the bug at some point - and admits he has no idea what the make up of his side to face Roberto Mancini's men at Eastlands will be.

No comments:

Post a Comment

ebook