Hargreaves surgery hope

ALEX Ferguson is keeping his fingers crossed that a double knee operation will eventually get Owen Hargreaves back on to the field for Manchester United.

Hargreaves has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing an operation on his right knee yesterday in a bid to cure a log-standing tendinitis problem.

Under the guidance of renowned Colorado-based surgeon Dr Richard Steadman, Hargreaves will have a further operation on his left knee in a few weeks as United seek to find a solution to a problem that has bothered Hargreaves since before his £18million arrival from Bayern Munich in summer 2007.

Although Hargreaves played in May’s Champions League Final triumph over Chelsea in Moscow, it proved to be a rare high spot for the England midfielder, who has made just 37 appearances for the Old Trafford outfit.

Ruled out of his first pre-season campaign following a big-money move from Bayern Munich, the 27-year-old sat out another this summer.