Premier League - Hargreaves could play in derby



Roberto Mancini has raised the spectre of Owen Hargreaves facing old club Manchester United at Old Trafford next month.
Three years of simmering resentment at the way Hargreaves' long-term knee injuries were initially handled by the Red Devils medical staff spilled over this week. In the aftermath of his goalscoring debut in City's Carling Cup win over Birmingham, Hargreaves claimed he felt "like a guinea pig", such were the treatments he was forced to undergo.

To Hargreaves, the whole problem had been exacerbated by injections he was advised to have by United as part of his attempts to combat a tendinitis problem that first came to light in 2007, when he was still at Bayern Munich.
"We have to be calm and think about his body," said Mancini. "If everything is okay in the next two or three weeks, maybe he can play against Manchester United."
Such a prospect is enticing given Hargreaves' history, although it seems unlikely he can expect a warm welcome from a club he only managed to get on the field for for a grand total of six minutes for since September 2008.

"United does not acknowledge any validity in the comments Owen is alleged to have made," said an official Red Devils statement.
"Manchester United is disappointed with Owen's remarks. The club gave him the best possible care for three years and is as disappointed as anyone he was not able to play a part in the team's success at that time."