City release Hargreaves

Midfielder Owen Hargreaves has been released by Manchester City after his short-term deal expired.

The former England international, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, joined Roberto Mancini’s side last August after leaving city rivals Manchester United.

He played just four times — but only once in the Premier League with a 13-minute appearance in October — and scored a solitary goal, in a Carling Cup victory over Birmingham.

The 31-year-old’s last outing came in the 3-2 FA Cup third-round defeat to United on January 8, when he played the final eight minutes.

Hargreaves spent most of last summer trying to convince clubs he was fully fit, after having operations on both knees in 2008 and 2009 during his injury-hit spell at United, and he even resorted to posting YouTube videos showing him training.

Mancini offered the former Bayern Munich star a chance after the player resisted interest from West Brom, but he was not included in the club’s Champions League squad and started only two games, both in the Carling Cup, in his four appearances.

City have also released Israeli midfielder Gai Assulin, Ahmed Benali and fellow academy graduate Sean Tse while a number of scholars have gone.