Manchester United's preparations for next season have been dealt an early blow with Owen Hargreaves, the England midfield player, unlikely to be back in action until January. Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, had hoped to have Hargreaves playing by the start of the new season in August, but his recovery from two knee operations is taking longer than expected and neither the club nor the player is prepared to rush his return for fear of a setback. The next couple of months are likely to provide more definitive answers, with Hargreaves hopeful of being able to join his team-mates for light training once or twice a week from next month or August before stepping up his rehabilitation programme to include more rigorous training after that. It is doubtful, though, that he will return to action before the new year. |