Justifying an inflated £17million fee might be enough for most
players, but Owen Hargreaves has even more to live up to. After
finally signing a four-year deal at Old Trafford yesterday, he is
being hailed as the new Roy Keane.
It is some label and one that has proved beyond Eric Djemba-
Djemba, Liam Miller, Darren Fletcher, Alan Smith and even Brazil
World Cup winner Kleberson all seen as potential replacements for
Keane, whose Manchester United reign came to an abrupt halt 18
months ago.
All have tried and failed to reach the former United skipper's
standards and opinion differs over whether Hargreaves can fill the
void following his protracted move from Bayern Munich. Manager Sir
Alex Ferguson saw signs of the same dynamism at last summer's World
Cup finals, as revealed in Sportsmail at the time, and stepped up a
pursuit of the England midfielder that had started several months
earlier.
Acknowledging Ferguson's persistence in the face of an initial
reluctance to sell by Bayern, a relieved Hargreaves savoured his
new challenge and said: "It is great that we've finally reached a
positive conclusion. It has been a long time coming and probably
football's worst kept secret, but it's great to be here at last.
"It feels fantastic to be a United player, especially after all the
time and energy that has been put in by everyone involved."
Energy is one quality which puts the 26-year-old in the Keane
mould, according to Ferguson, and the view was endorsed by former
United No 2 and current England coach Steve McClaren. Comparing
United's third highprofile summer purchase to Keane in terms of
dedication as well as influence on the pitch, McClaren said: "I
will never forget the first time he played in a World Cup warm-up
match. He came in afterwards and asked if I'd go through a video of
his performance with him.
"He had that great belief, determination and mental strength to
say: 'I want to improve'. I have seen him grow and grow. "The
majority of good teams have someone in the middle of the park who
gels it all together, a player who does the unseen work and allows
others to express themselves. At United, Keane gave that freedom to
Paul Scholes and Owen has done the same with England. He makes
1,000 tackles and interceptions, all the unseen things that are so
important and help make for a better team."
The 2006 World Cup campaign changed the country's perception of
Calgary-born Hargreaves. He was booed on to the pitch for the
opening game against Paraguay in Frankfurt but was being portrayed
as indispensable following a man-of-the-match performance in the
quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat by Portugal.
In contrast, his star was on the wane at Munich. The acclaim that
rang out for his starring role in a Champions League semi-final
triumph over Real Madrid in 2001 seemed a distant memory as the
giants of German football stumbled through their worst campaign in
living memory, a fourth-place finish that left them with the
ignominy of UEFA Cup participation next season.
Patience finally ran out in January, when Sportsmail revealed that
president Franz Beckenbauer had gone public with Bayern's
willingness to cash in on Hargreaves' elevated standing in England,
saying: "If the figures being quoted are right, we will have to
listen."
The figure was 25million euros and, behind the official diplomacy,
Bayern chiefs were queueing up to drive him to the airport once his
recovery from a broken leg was complete.
"It may sound harsh and Owen was by no means the only guilty party,
but everyone here considers him to be synonymous with a disastrous
season for Bayern," said a source close to the club.
"No one is interested in him any more and you won't find anyone
tipping him to be another Keane. He just hasn't had the same power
or drive for Bayern."
