Injured Hargreaves out for a month

Owen Hargreaves had been expected to make his European bow for Manchester United in last night’s workmanlike 1-0 win over Roma – instead he faces another agonising month on the sidelines with a knee injury.

And Alex Ferguson’s post-match revelation that the combative midfielder had needed an injection to treat tendinitis will have repercussions well beyond the confines of Old Trafford, with the 26-year-old seemingly certain to miss England’s forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia.