Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is
lining Owen Hargreaves up as his new free-kick king. The departure
of Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid has left United looking for a
new dead-ball expert.
Ryan Giggs has stepped into the breach so far this term, scoring
against Tottenham, then again in Wednesday's Champions League
triumph over Wolfsburg, thanks to the aid of a massive
deflection.
Yet Ferguson knows he will not be able to rely on the veteran
Welshman all season. And, remembering Hargreaves' precise strike
against Arsenal in April last year, Ferguson is looking forward to
the midfielder's recovery from knee surgery with eager
anticipation.
"Outside Cristiano Ronaldo, I don't think there is a better
deliverer of set pieces than Owen," said the United boss. "That is
one of the areas in which he may help us more.
"People may look upon free-kicks as minimal. I see them as an
added detail to a football team. "Ronaldo could get three or four
goals like that. We are still searching for someone else. If Owen
can do it, that will be a bonus for us."
Ferguson has previously indicated Hargreaves could be back in
action by the beginning of next month as he comes to the end of a
lengthy rehabilitation process following revolutionary surgery to
cure a tendinitis problem that developed in both knees prior to his
exit from Bayern Munich.
As someone equally adept in central midfield or right-back,
Hargreaves would be a useful addition to the present United squad.
And, while Ferguson is reluctant to expect too much too quickly
from a player who has been sidelined for an entire year, and
plagued by injury before that, the Scot admits the signs are
encouraging.
"It gives me another problem, but it is one I welcome," he said.
"He is coming along fine. His physio has gone back to America so he
is completely in our control now and hopefully he will be back into
football training quite soon.
"The signs are good. There has been absolutely no reaction to
the operations. "It has been a long road for the boy but he made a
sacrifice by staying in America for a year to make sure he was
right. "That shows a good determination to come back and do
well."