Brian Marwood believes Owen Hargreaves can still force his way into the England squad.
Marwood backs Hargreaves and Michael Owen for England recalls
Manchester City's chief football operations officer Brian Marwood believes Owen Hargreaves can still force his way into the England set-up despite his long lay-off.
The midfielder, who surprisingly made a transfer deadline day move from Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium, made a dream City debut in the Carling Cup in midweek, scoring in the 2-0 victory against holders Birmingham.
And he was once an integral part of the international team under Sven-Goran Eriksson until his injury nightmare at Old Trafford which saw him make a little over 25 appearances during his time with the club.
Now Marwood, who won the Championship with Arsenal back in 1989 believes that if the 30-year-old stays fit and maintains his fitness levels, then an England recall could be on the agenda.
Delighted
"Everybody is delighted for Owen because it has been well documented the injury problems he has had over recent years," Marwood said.
"He has worked hard to get back to the level of fitness at which he can compete in the Premier League.
"We are all hopeful he can stay healthy because he can make an enormous contribution not only to Manchester City, but potentially to the England national team."
Quality
Marwood also believes Hargreaves along with Manchester United striker Michael Owen, who has experience at Liverpool and Real Madrid, can always offer something to Fabio Capello's squad.
"Both Michael and Owen are quality players and they can still add an awful lot to the England squad," he said.
"But they need game and training time, if they do get that, then there is no reason why either of them should not force themselves back into the England squad."
