Injury History
Hargreaves' career has been affected by injuries, the bulk of which formed in 2006, the year he won the award for England's best player at the 2006 World Cup. Hargreaves stated that he believed the bulk of his injury problems to have been in 2007, when he returned from injury after breaking his leg. He felt that his muscle in his leg was weaker than before he sustained his broken leg, and initially Hargreaves ignored the aching and played on.
It emerged by 2008 that Hargreaves was suffering from a problem with his patella tendon and this was eventually narrowed down to patellar tendinitis. Surgeon Richard Steadman stated that Hargreaves knees were in a worse state than any other he had come across in his 35 years of experience. After numerous operations on both his knees, Steadman said in September 2010 that Hargreaves' problems with his knees were over but Alex Ferguson denied this. In November 2010, Hargreaves made his first start for Manchester United in 777 days, but limped off after six minutes.
In 2011, Manchester United did not renew his contract due to his injury troubles. Speculation rumbled about Hargreaves retiring due to his injuries but determined to prove himself, he uploaded YouTube videos of himself training to convince potential clubs of his fitness. His determination to carry on despite chronic injury has won him admirers.
After his move to Manchester City, Owen Hargreaves stated that he felt like "a guinea pig" during his time on the treatment table at Manchester United. He believed that his prolonged trouble with injuries were due to the revolutionary treatments he was forced to undergo in an effort to solve a problem he felt had been exacerbated by the injections. Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected these claims.
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