Owen Hargreaves will have to wait a little longer for his United
debut after Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed he is struggling to be fit
for the Reds' second Asia tour match in Seoul.
Hargreaves has a minor knee problem, while fellow new signing Nani
missed the first match due to an ankle injury he picked up during
the European U21 Championships last month.
However, Nani is now in contention for a place in Friday's match
against FC Seoul. Hargreaves may have to wait for next Monday's
match against Shenzhen FC in Macau.
"Owen has a touch of tendonitis in his knee," revealed the United
boss. "It is not particularly serious. It happens with a lot of
players at the start of the season and maybe he will be okay for
the third game.
"Nani picked up an ankle injury during the European Under-21
Championships. It is not long-term but there is no need to rush him
back," added the boss earlier this week. But, on Wednesday
afternoon, Nani's chances of making Friday's game had
improved.
Sir Alex was pleased with his side's display in Tuesday's 2-2 draw
with J League side Urawa Red Diamonds. And the Reds' boss says he
has already seen enough from his players to give him plenty of
confidence ahead of the new campaign.
"I said before the start of last season we were starting off on a
journey that could take them a long way," he explained.
"We are hoping for early indicators about the progress of the
players and team and we saw further evidence on Tuesday that there
is no regression.
"You always look to see whether the enthusiasm is still there,
whether the
desire is still there and whether the players are still enjoying
their football. I think we saw that they are."
