Sir Alex Ferguson believes Owen
Hargreaves' confidence has suffered as a result of his long injury
lay-off.
The Manchester United midfielder, who was left out of Fabio
Capello's 30-man provisional World Cup squad, has played only 35
seconds for his club since returning from 20 months out with
chronic tendinitis in his knees earlier this month.
That brief comeback came during the United's penultimate game of
the season against Sunderland, but England international Hargreaves
was not included for the final fixture at home to Stoke.
And manager Ferguson believes the former Bayern Munich player
must overcome a mental barrier before he can get back to playing at
his best ability.
"He's had a tough time," Ferguson said in The Times.
"Now it's that mental step.
"He's enthusiastic about it but he needs that big step forward
to playing a game."
skysports.
