Hargreaves: Knee surgery
Sir Alex Ferguson has conceded Manchester United had no alternative other than to send Owen Hargreaves for an operation on his knees.
The England midfielder has gone under the knife following a consultation with renowned knee surgeon Dr Richard Steadman in Colorado.
Hargreaves has experienced pain in both of his knees since arriving at Old Trafford in an £18million deal from Bayern Munich last year.
A course of injections from a specialist in Leicester had allowed Hargreaves to play through the pain barrier last season but having made just three appearances this term, it was decided surgery was the only viable solution.
"We have exhausted every other way of dealing with the situation," said Ferguson.
"We have tried to manage it by sending him to a specialist in Leicester for a series of injections.
"Their success rate is very good. Unfortunately it wasn't good enough for Owen because he was still feeling great pain in his knee caps.
"We had to look at the next stage and that meant sending him for an operation.
"The surgeon is very pleased with it and we had a physio there who was happy as well.
"We hope it will get rid of the problem and he will come back a new player."

Manchester Utd 3-3 CSKA Moscow
Champions League round-up - Nov 3rd
Man Utd 3-3 CSKA Moscow- Owen
Man Utd 3-3 CSKA Moscow - Ferguson
Fergie's injury issues
Fergie injury worries
Barnsley 0-2 Man Utd - Robins
Barnsley 0-2 Man Utd - Ferguson
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Sunday 8th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 16:00 | Chelsea vs Man Utd |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 17:30 | Man Utd vs Everton |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs Besiktas |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Man Utd |
| Tuesday 1st December | |
| Carling Cup | |
| 20:00 | Man Utd vs Tottenham |
| Saturday 5th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Man Utd |
| Tuesday 8th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Wolfsburg vs Man Utd |
| Saturday 12th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 17:30 | Man Utd vs Aston Villa |
| Tuesday 15th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs Wolverhampton |
| Saturday 19th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Man Utd |
| Sunday 27th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 16:00 | Hull vs Man Utd |
| Wednesday 30th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Man Utd vs Wigan |
| Saturday 9th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 17:30 | Birmingham vs Man Utd |
| Saturday 16th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Burnley |
| Tuesday 26th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs Hull |
| Sunday 31st January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 16:00 | Arsenal vs Man Utd |
| Saturday 6th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Portsmouth |
| Wednesday 10th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Aston Villa vs Man Utd |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 3rd November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Man Utd 3 - 3 CSKA Moscow | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Tuesday 27th October | |
| Carling Cup | |
| Barnsley 0 - 2 Man Utd | |
| Sunday 25th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Liverpool 2 - 0 Man Utd | |
| Wednesday 21st October | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Saturday 17th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 1 Bolton | |
| Saturday 3rd October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 2 Sunderland | |
| Wednesday 30th September | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 1 Wolfsburg | |
| Saturday 26th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Stoke 0 - 2 Man Utd | |
| Wednesday 23rd September | |
| Carling Cup | |
| Man Utd 1 - 0 Wolverhampton | |
| Sunday 20th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 4 - 3 Man City | |
| Tuesday 15th September | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Besiktas 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Saturday 12th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Tottenham 1 - 3 Man Utd | |
| Saturday 29th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wigan 0 - 5 Man Utd | |
| Wednesday 19th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Burnley 1 - 0 Man Utd | |
| Sunday 16th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 1 - 0 Birmingham | |
| Sunday 9th August | |
| FA Community Shield | |
| Chelsea 2 - 2 Man Utd | |
| Wednesday 5th August | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Valencia | |
| Thursday 30th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Man Utd 0 - 0 Bayern Munich | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 11 | 27 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 11 | 25 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 10 | 22 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 10 | 19 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 11 | 19 |
Can Chelsea cash in on Man Utd's defensive issues and add to their league lead, asks Andy Gray.
With Didier Drogba in frightening form, Paul Merson expects Chelsea to beat Man Utd on Sunday.
Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Bolton in 2001. Can you name the mystery starting XI?
Owen Hargreaves is close to returning to training after suffering a minor setback in his recovery.
Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of Man Utd's match at Chelsea with a calf injury.
Fireworks are expected on Sunday when Premier League leaders Chelsea host second-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Sir Alex Ferguson has played down talk of a rift between goalkeepers Tomasz Kuszczak and Edwin van der Sar.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists that they will put up a better show against Chelsea than they did at Liverpool.