Owen Hargreaves - Waste of Manchester United Money? No Chance.

Owen Hargreaves may soon be heading to America in an attempt to play some football in the MLS, with Toronto FC apparently chasing the free agent's signature. Here, I have a look at whether Owen Hargreaves was, like some people say, a Manchester United failure, or a hugely underrated but also massively unfortunate member of a widely successfully double winning season in 2008.

Just over four years ago, on July 9th 2007, Manchester United had unveiled their new midfield signing, English international, Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich in a £17 million deal. It was set to be the start of something new, and something different in the middle of the midfield for United, something that would be successful and title winning for Sir Alex Ferguson. It did, start so well, with Hargreaves winning his second Champions League medal in his first season with United as well as a Premier League medal, but alas, it went drastically and miserably downhill from there.

Today, four years on from his signing, and Owen Hargreaves has the sympathy of many a football fan, being released by United into the footballing wilderness and left looking for a new club or perhaps staring blankly at premature retirement. It is very sad to see, that such a technically gifted player who could have achieved so much more at the top level, just didn't have the required fitness levels and injury resistance to survive for longer. If only his knees worked. If only those pivotal hinge joints, the biggest and most complex joints in the human body, the knees held out for longer. After all, they are quite important for a footballer.

Hargreaves managed 39 appearances for Manchester United during his four season spell at Old Trafford, with 34 of them coming in his first and most successful season in England. Really, it was the only actual season Hargreaves spent at Manchester United, because most of his time in his last three seasons was in numerous expert hospitals around the world, having his various injuries looked at in an attempt to cure them. Just to emphasise how unfortunate the guy is, Wayne Rooney, Manchester United striker since 2004, has played more games in each season he has been at United than Hargreaves had done in his whole United career.

Injuries wasted this mans career, and ruined his four year contract. United paid £17 million for his signature, and got only a season out of him, whilst having to pay his wages, which allows critics to blast United for paying over the odds on a player who was hardly fit enough to manage a whole season. It allows some cynics to claim that Hargreaves was a complete waste of money for Manchester United, and will go down as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's worst buys alongside Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Diego Forlan and Bebe. 

I think, that this assumption is completely unfair, unworthy, and fails to acknowledge Hargreaves's achievements as a Manchester United player as well as those possible achievements if the injuries had not stood defiantly in his way. There is absolutely no arguing at all that Hargreaves was a big part of Manchester United's Premier League season in 2007-08, with 23 appearances. He was, as ever, gritty, hard working, the "engine" as some called him in the midfield, and a non stop worker who would win the ball and help to keep it. He scored 2 Premier League goals that season, one you may remember which was the winner against Arsenal in which he curled the free-kick over the Arsenal wall as it flew gracefully into the corner at Old Trafford.

Then, in every Champions League game he played, he was just as important, using his deceptive pace on the right hand side occasionally to whip in some very dangerous crosses as well as being his usual athletic, disciplined and determined self in all other areas. His penalty in the final against Chelsea was perfect; unstoppably placed beautifully into the top corner on United's way to winning the unbearably tense shoot-out.

Make no mistake, Owen Hargreaves had his fair share of big contributions to that season with Manchester United. While Hargreaves may have cost £17 million, he helped United win over £85 million from Champions League prize money as well as around £15 million from coming first in the Premier League, United didn't do so bad in Hargreaves first year financially. 

Some may persist in saying that £17 million was too much of a risk on a player like this, who had known injury troubles, and they may  have a case, but to say that United made a mistake in signing Hargreaves is not a view I would have any time for. In fact, the players only failing was his fitness, and there was very little he could do about that, with this being pretty much only to do with huge bad luck and nothing else.

Now a free agent, Hargreaves is a player many clubs will be cautiously looking at from a distance. Not because of a lack of quality, but simply because of his injury issues. Any club would be very lucky to have a fit Hargreaves playing in their midfield, as he possesses a quality very rare in modern English internationals, and that is the passion, determination and hard working nature to do anything it takes to win the game. He is very versatile, strong, solid in defence and dangerous in attack and always reliable. All of those qualities he showed in his first season with United, and was a credit to himself in his performances considering he was playing through the pain.

On a pay as you play deal, which is what he is willing to have, Hargreaves would be a fine player to have waiting in the squad for an opportunity. Personally, I think it would be best for him to hang up his boots now, and give those knees a rest, but whatever he does, I wish him well, and thank him for his service for Manchester United, respecting and acknowledging what a tough time he had in the treatment room.

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball

Hargreaves United Career Over...But [Video]

Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the news that no Manchester United supporter wanted to hear, despite expecting to hear: Owen Hargreaves' Manchester United career is over. It is supremely unfortunate for the England international, but hardly surprising, as he managed only 10 minutes of pitch time over the whole season.
Sir Alex said:

"This has been a difficult decision knowing how hard the lad has worked to win back his fitness. But we have made it in the hope he will be able to resurrect his career elsewhere."

You only have to look at the recent headlines on this blog which involve the player to understand how unfortunate he has been during his time at United. [Video Below]

Will Hargreaves Follow Neville & van der sar Into Retirement? [Article on Feb 3rd]

 Poor Owen Hargreaves. The Manchester United midfielder has constantly been plagued with terrible injuries to his knees, suffering from an extremely serious case of patellar tendinitis which was described by his surgeon, who has 35 years experience in his field as the worst case he had ever seen.

Hargreaves Injury Update - Not Good [Article on March 26th]

I am still awaiting the day when an injury update on Owen Hargreaves can be classified as 'good news'. As it is, the Canadian born midfielder is once again on the all to familiar treatment table at United. This time it is his shoulder.

Scholes & Hargreaves - Time to Say Goodbye? [Article on April 15th]

Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves. Six years and 631 Manchester United appearances separate the two midfield maestros, but to the extreme misfortune of the latter, that is not the only thing that is different. Aside from the obvious difference in appearance; Scholes's distinctive short ginger hair and scruffy appearance compared to the Canadian's sleek, curly locks and pulled up socks, Paul Scholes has not suffered persistent, possible career ending injuries to the extent that his midfield colleague Hargreaves has.

The latest article however, was interesting in light of today's news. It stated that Manchester United had offered Hargreaves a new pay-as-you-play deal for a year extension on his contract. This was apparently to warn off interest from other clubs, which included United's rivals Arsenal, and came from a national newspaper. However, this obviously has not turned out to be the case, and Hargreaves will be free to join any club of his choice, as long as he can get back to fitness - that could include Arsenal (although unlikely).

Hargreaves managed 39 appearances for United, scoring 2 goals, but when he was playing, he was fantastic - often described - accurately as the engine from midfield, with tenacity and desire, with the fight that all good, commanding central midfielder's need in their lockers. He is a player whom United would have been delighted to have had in their side this season, but one who was constantly unavailable due to those nagging injuries.



In the one season that he managed at United, he made a big impact, helping Sir Alex's side to one Premier League trophy and one Champions League trophy - a feet which can be achieved again in a few days time by the current squad. He will be missed at Old Trafford, and it is very sad to see a player have to leav because of injuries. Here is a refreshing reminder of one of his highlights as a United player - his free-kick against Arsenal - the very same Arsenal he was rumoured to be joining a couple of weeks ago, and will surely be linked to in the future:

Follow Me on Twitter @RealDan7 or @DBSFootball

DBSFootball in association with: http://www.watch-football.tv/football/ - Live Football Streaming. 

Regrettably, It's Best For Us All

"Go on, just one more year!" Manchester United fans would be screaming that from the stands of Old Trafford for years to come if the evergreen Dutchman, Edwin van der sar were to change his mind and stay at United and in football for another year. Indeed he could - his quality as a world class goalkeeper has not faded in the slightest, with his reflexes being as swift and agile as ever, and his ability to save the unstoppable, as present as it ever was. His calming presence in the United goal is something very hard to find in goalkeepers today, and by him retiring, he is giving United an extremely hard job to do - but a job to be done sooner rather than later.

Letting go has proven hard for Van der sar, who recently admitted that he still asks himself why he is retiring. He says that physically he does not need to stop, and by his performances this season, no one can argue with that; he is still, as he says, "fit as a fiddle". But it is a decision he has made with the help of the people most important to him; his family and his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
It takes a brave man to disagree with Sir Alex about football. The United manager said:

"If I was giving advice to Edwin van der Sar, right now, I would say retire. He is at the absolute pinnacle of his career but sometimes, when a player gets to that age, age comes onto you very suddenly. I wouldn't want to see Edwin van der Sar in that situation."

As players such as Rooney and Rio Ferdinand call for the 40 year-old to abandon his plans of retirement to no avail, they must turn their attention to making this season his greatest at United. Manchester United must ensure that his final season can be his best season - a season of success - a season when the great goalkeeper goes out of the game he loves on an almighty high. It is only added incentive for the United players to go out against Schalke on Wednesday and Chelsea on the week-end and take a win to propel the club closer to a prestigious double in the name of their goalkeeper.

Unfortunately, United must move on quickly. A replacement needs to be found; one of the quality, or potential quality to fill Edwin van der sar's boots and safe gloves for the next decade or so. With Manuel Neur pretty much crossed off the list already, Sir Alex's short-list will be even shorter. No doubt Edwin will help Sir Alex in choosing his successor if he hasn't already, but United will buy a new goalkeeper in the summer - that is for sure - that is the priority. It is what is needed.

I'm not saying I wouldn't like him to stay another year, but at his age, United cannot be reliant on him as the number 1 goalkeeper, especially when looking forward in the long term future of the club. Perhaps however, the veteran goalkeeper will consider the words of  United legend Eric Cantona when he retires from the game at the end of the season:

"If you have only one passion in life - football - and you pursue it to the exclusion of everything else, it becomes very dangerous. When you stop doing this activity it is as though you are dying. The death of that activity is a death in itself."

It's a bit dramatic, but that's Cantona.

Follow Me on Twitter @RealDan7 or @DBSFootball 

DBSFootball in association with: http://www.watch-football.tv/football/ - Live Football Streaming.

Scholes & Hargreaves - Time to Say Goodbye?

Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves. Six years and 631 Manchester United appearances separate the two midfield maestros, but to the extreme misfortune of the latter, that is not the only thing that is different. Aside from the obvious difference in appearance; Scholes's distinctive short ginger hair and scruffy appearance compared to the Canadian's sleek, curly locks and pulled up socks, Paul Scholes has not suffered persistent, possible career ending injuries to the extent that his midfield colleague Hargreaves has.

Both players have been key in the teams they have represented - Scholes with England and United and Hargreaves with England, Bayern Munich and, whenever possible, United too. Hargreaves's gritty, hard-working, disciplined and precise attitude that helps him run the midfield like an engine when in top form and free from injuries has been starting to run out of petrol and chug to a halt for a while now. Those injuries have taken their toll on the 30 year-old, and as soon as he has recovered from one, he picks up another. It is pure, unrivalled footballing bad luck.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that we will not see Hargreaves play for Manchester United again this season, and that, regrettably could mean that we will never see Hargreaves play for United again, as his contract expires at the end of this season. Referring to a possible contract extension, Sir Alex said, in an unusual indecisive manner; "I don't know what is going to happen."

Talks with David Gill have been held, but that is all they are - talks - nothing more. It is understandable that Ferguson is unsure over Hargreaves's future. The player himself, or probably even his doctor are unsure over his future. His body, his injuries are just so unpredictable that a new contract would be a big risk, and one that could end up devastating an already shattered Hargreaves.

Ferguson concluded, "We have to make a decision." Indicating, rather hopefully that Hargreaves has something to cling to. There may yet be some optimism, some light at the end of the injury ravaged tunnel, the tunnel that Hargreaves has so often walked down, or hobbled down to receive some treatment. Sir Alex knows, as we all do, that if Hargreaves were to be free from his injuries, he would be a Manchester United regular, and would be driving the team forward every week to success, much like he did in his double winning first season at Old Trafford.


Scholes has been far from injury free himself, suffering blurry vision in the 05/06 season which ruled him out for a while, as well as knee ligament damage late in 2007 which saw him miss a good few months. But Scholes's end is not coming about because of injuries, but rather age, the thing that one day affects us all. Ryan Giggs is apparently immune from this thing called "age", but Scholes is not so lucky, and in a recent rare interview, the 36 year-old reiterated the uncertainty surrounding his future; "I really don't know what I am going to do yet. I've got these games to think about now and I will decide from there."

United are already looking for a replacement, with rumours circulating everywhere about the future of United's midfield, as to whom, or what will replace the passing, inspirational expert that is Paul Scholes. His ability, much like Hargreaves, in the past has been severely underrated, but those who truly admire the beautiful side of football, the precision perfect cross-field passes, the delightful dinks over the defence, the astounding forward thinking vision and the tenacity of a little man in love with football, will understand how truly great Scholes has been.

It isn't everyday that a footballer is called the "greatest player of his generation" by none other than Zinedine Zidane.

Scholes's age has limited his starts this season, and unfortunately, it is something that we will have to begin to get used to if he decides to hang up those legendary boots that have graced countless football pitches all over the world representing Manchester United. Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley may be his last Manchester derby, but it is by far, one of the most important.

Hargreaves may not have a starring role, but Scholes sure as hell will, and who knows, when he walks out onto that Wembley pitch and is greeted by cheers of 80,000 football fans, he may be overwhelmed by the great occasion and sway his mind into staying at his club for just one more year. His future is in his hands, but whatever the decision, he will have the support of Manchester United fans and footballing fans everywhere.

Lehmann to Return to Arsenal

Jens Lehmann could soon become one of very few current Arsenal players to have lifted any silverware wearing the Arsenal kit. Lehmann won several trophies at Arsenal; the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Community Shield and claimed Champions League runners up medal. 

Arsenal have not won a major trophy since the German left Arsenal, and whats more, when Lehmann won the Premier League with Arsenal in 2004, it was done so without losing a single match. His anticipated return to Arsenal comes too late to repeat this feat, just as it is unlikely for the achievement to be completed again, but his experience in abundance and leadership qualities could prove vital in a title race with all too familiar rivals.

Lehmann is reportedly in talks with Arsenal over a short term move to solve Arsenal's current goalkeeping crisis. Wojciech Szczesny, Lukas Fabianski and Vito Mannone are all injured and therefore unavailable, leaving only Manuel Almunia to occupy the goal. Of course you only need one goalkeeper on the pitch at one time, but suppose Almunia were to pick up an injury - which considering Arsenal's current bad luck seems unfortunately likely. They need another keeper, and Lehmann could be a perfectly satisfactory solution.

It is ironic that upon Lehmann's supposed return to Arsenal, Manuel Almunia will be ahead of him in the pecking order. During his Arsenal days, Lehman became increasingly frustrated with the fact that Almunia was chosen ahead of him, and complained to Wenger about it;

"My coach confirmed my impression that he uses a different measuring stick to evaluate [Manuel] Almunia. For me this was a disappointment. It's very frustrating. When I see the performances on the field, I get angry and I have to clench my fist in my pocket."

That was said in 2007, and it looks as if four year on, Lehmann will return with his fist clenched firmly in his pockets. However, it is a nice situation for him to be in - returning from retirement to a club which he earned close to 200 appearance for, and helped to several (now rare) trophies. He could also help the current, still relatively inexperienced squad during the final stages of this incredibly tight title race.

It's a win - win situation isn't it? Well, unless the form of the end of his Arsenal career returns, and upon playing his first football game in a while if Almunia doesn't start, makes a crucial, title losing mistake.

Will Hargreaves Follow Neville & van der sar Into Retirement?

Poor Owen Hargreaves. The Manchester United midfielder has constantly been plagued with terrible injuries to his knees, suffering from an extremely serious case of patellar tendinitis which was described by his surgeon, who has 35 years experience in his field as the worst case he had ever seen.

It takes an incredibly strong minded individual to keep going despite being bombarded with injuries which must frustrate the undoubtedly talented individual beyond belief. It would be fair to call the Canadian born England midfielder "injury prone", or perhaps just "unbelievably unlucky". The question is, how can he continue at the top level with all of these injuries - the latest one a torn hamstring, of which I gather, he is slowly recovering from.

Manchester United have already seen Gary Neville walk out of Old Trafford after an outstandingly successful long career wearing red, while Edwin van der sar has announced his retirement at the grand age of 40. Nobody likes to see a professional have to step down, whether it be because of their advancing age, or incessant injuries. But sometimes it is necessary.

Hargreaves joined United in 2007, hoping to help the Red Devils to unrivalled success with him playing a big part. The former became true, as it has consistently done over the years, and the latter was true for the first year. In United's 2007/08 season, Hargreaves clocked up a good 34 appearances in all competitions, playing his part in United's Premier League and Champions League success that year. However, a couple of seasons down the line, and the players' tally of appearances has only increased by 5 - and not many of them were where he played the full 90 minutes.

Hargreaves is now 30 years old, and the Manchester United team is starting to bring in younger players into the setup. His contract expires in the summer, so Hargreaves is currently in a race against time to prove to his manager that he deserves a contract renewal. But if there is one thing that Hargreaves knows from experience which shouldn't be rushed, it is injuries. It is sad to say, but it looks as if he is fighting a losing battle. When will we see him back for United at 100% fitness and battling away like the engine he is at the heart of the United midfield? I'm not so sure we will.

On Monday, Hargreaves was included in the club's 25-man Premier League squad, but he has not made the cut for the Champions League. It would be great to see him return, but whenever I see him on the pitch, I am constantly weary of his fragility, and frightened that in a flicker, he could be hobbling off of the pitch, down the tunnel and into that all too familiar treatment room. Despite his inclusion in the Premier League squad for the second half of the season, it seems unlikely that he will play a big part.

Hargreaves has had a successful career as a footballer. Seven years at Bayern Munich saw him win four German Bundesliga titles and the 2000/01 Champions League. His short happy period at United also saw him win a Premier League and yet another European trophy, but age and injury have taken its toll on poor Hargreaves, and he may be only one more injury away from hanging up his boots and giving up football for the sake of his body.