''When I signed him, there was something about him I didn't like. It turned out to be a disaster.'' - Sir Alex Ferguson, October 2013.
Lambasting the £17 million dynamo he signed from Bayern Munich as 'one of the worst signings', Ferguson criticised the former England international for lacking that steely determination required to overcome his injury demons. Dogged by injuries during his four year stay at Old Trafford, he made just 27 appearances before signing for the blue half of the city in 2011. Such was his lack of impact at Old Trafford, however, that nobody really seemed to care that he had made that 'treacherous' leap. He only ever played once for Roberto Mancini's men anyway. Operations and specialists were the buzzwords that summed up Hargreaves' stay in the Premier League, jetting off to the US, London and Sweden in his debut season in a bid to fix his recurring tendinitis problem. While one of his rare Red Devils' appearances coincided with the victorious Champions League final of 2008, it all went downhill from there. 20 months went by, in which he had missed 113 matches, before he made his long-awaited comeback in May 2010. The lowest ebb of the Canadian-born midfielder's tenure at Old Trafford, however, was saved for his infamous first start in over two years, against Wolves at Old Trafford in November 2010. Lasting a pitiful five minutes, his comeback was cut ignominiously short, as he trudged off holding a tightened hamstring. For the Old Trafford faithful, it was poignantly fitting final sighting of their £17 million man.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
