Potential comebacks are something United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has had to get used to down the years. He hasn’t played a single minute of first team football since October 1997. The ex-England International has sustained a total of 27 long-term injuries (broken leg, knee ops etc) and 153 short-term injuries since that date. (Gashed little finger, grazed elbow etc.)
Hargreaves has however stayed disciplined and relatively positive throughout and has now managed to get himself fit. Eric Cantona, his Physio, told us last week that Hargreaves is ready to enter the ‘light training’ phase once again. The lad has entered this phase at least twice per season since 1997- where he falls victim to yet more unforeseen injuries, hence more months of washing Sir Alex’s car.
Hargreaves, now 38 was on course for light training from this Friday. We gave him our pen and paper in what is part three of Day in the life of…Owen Hargreaves…
06:55- These are the mornings I live for. I hadn’t been in light training for a good six-month period. These days are always special to me. To try and beat my misfortune of picking up more injuries on these days, I decided to do things a little differently to the norm. My wife stopped the alarm.
07:30- Excitement for my light training session was already building. I packed my shorts, t-shirt and packed lunch into my kit bag. My lunch consisted of two cheese and pickle sandwiches, a Kit-Kat, Munch Bunch Yoghurt and a Kiwi fruit. I was intending to sit with the others today at lunch.
08:00- Instead of driving in my car to the Carrington training ground, I decided to get a taxi. This turned up dead on time. Excitement was growing by the minute. I was sweating buckets inside the taxi as my adrenaline was pumping. I could not believe that nothing had gone wrong so far. I remember thinking to myself: ‘Wow, is this really happening to me, I am so lucky to earn £60k-a-week to carry out errands and chores around the training ground.’
09:00- I got to the changing room. Most of the others were already in there getting changed. Rio had the I-pod speakers on full blast, listening to some Hip and hop artist- 50 pence I think his name was. I heard Scholes shout out: “C’mon Rio- Ollie Murrs was amazing on X-factor the other year, can you not put him on?”
There wasn’t any space for me to get changed, so I had to get changed on the floor, no-one would nudge along to make space for me, but I didn’t let this bother me as I was enjoying the banter between everyone.
Anderson, was doing some really unusual Hip and Hop style dance in the middle of the room, he was getting a lot of attention from the others. I wasn’t sure whether anyone knew I was in the room.
Wazza looked at me and said something in Scouse. I just looked at him and smiled. Fletcher came up to me and put his shoulder around mine and said: “Don’t worry mate, none of the others talk to me either, I just sit in the corner and play on my PSP until its ready to go outside.” I thought that was really sweet of Fletcher.
10:00- Anticipation was growing, all of the other lads were outside. I was struggling to tie up my boot lace as I had forgotten how to do it. I called my mum, who came down to help me out.
I was changed, all kitted up, this was my next opportunity of getting back to full fitness. Light training usually consisted of me doing a few star jumps followed by a 10 metre walk. I have never been passed the star jump phase.
10:05- I walked out from the changing room, into the lovely warm Spring sunshine, there were a couple of hundred United fans behind the fence. I couldn’t believe it but they were all clapping and cheering me on, my adrenaline was pumping. I finally felt my injury nightmare was behind me, but as I started to run up to the section where I had to do my star jumps, I turned and clapped the fans who were clapping me and as I did this my ankle got lodged in a pot hole and I fell over in a heap.
I phoned Cantona and he said there would be a possibility that my return could suffer a slight set back.
11:00- Sir Alex sent me home. So I did and went straight to bed in tears. It was such a shame really because I was really confident that I could master the star jumps.
TO BE CONTINUED……………EVENTUALLY
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