Ferguson tells Hargreaves to fight to save his career

SOCCER:ALEX FERGUSON has told Owen Hargreaves he must fight to try to salvage his Manchester United career after issuing another bleak injury bulletin on the England midfielder.

Hargreaves is in Munich for treatment on the hamstring injury that curtailed his comeback against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, after only four minutes.

At the time the manager, who described the recall as “a disaster”, announced a four- to five-week absence for the 29-year-old, but claimed Hargreaves had recovered from the knee problems that kept him out for more than two years.

Yesterday, however, the United manager revealed Hargreaves has torn a hamstring, would be out for up to eight weeks and is not guaranteed to return to top-level football.

“We are all concerned,” said Ferguson, ahead of tonight’s final Champions League group game.

“He hasn’t played for over two years. We would have to be super-optimistic to think everything’s going to be rosy for him in terms of making a comeback.

“What we’re trying to do is help the lad. That in itself is our biggest challenge, to help him get back to a level where he can play football.”

Ferguson admitted Hargreaves’ visit to a specialist in Munich, where he played for Bayern before a €20 million transfer to Old Trafford in 2007, was also designed to be “a little bit therapeutic” for a player he claimed was anxious ahead of the Wolves game.

“If it’s a complete tear, as in Owen’s case, it can be six to eight weeks,” he added.

“If you catch it early enough and prevent them from doing any more damage, then you can get them back into three to four weeks, but this was a tear.”

Hargreaves is out of contract at the end of this season and, unsurprisingly, a renewal is not up for discussion.

“That is not something we’re thinking about at this moment in time,” said Ferguson, who believes the midfielder’s immediate focus must be on rescuing his career.

“How does he take it after two years out? He has to fight it. There is no other way,” he said.

Valencia’s visit to Old Trafford is not without incentive, even though they and United have qualified for the knockout phase.

The Spaniards can pip United to first place in Group C with victory by virtue of a superior goal difference.

Ferguson’s team, however, have not conceded a goal in Europe this season and would become the first club in Champions League history to keep six clean sheets in the group stage with another shut-out tonight.

“I think in European games the players realise the concentration has to be 100 per cent,” said the United manager, who vowed to play his strongest side against Valencia after Saturday’s trip to Blackpool was postponed, and with Arsenal and Chelsea next up in the Premier League.

“We want to win our group. The sensible approach is to avoid the bigger-hitters like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the next round.”