Owen Hargreaves suffered a suspected broken leg
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Owen hit by broken leg agony
By ONLINE REPORTER
September 16, 2006
England midfielder Owen Hargreaves suffered a suspected broken left leg during Bayern Munich's match against Armenia Bielefeld.
He was carried off the pitch after 24 minutes and was expected to have a scan. However Bayern admitted they thought his fibula may have been snapped in a tackle with Bielefeld's Thorben Marx.
Hargreaves was a summer target of Manchester United but Bayern refused to sell the 25-year-old.
Bayern boss Felix Magath confirmed: "We fear he might have broken his left fibula. I think he will be X-rayed."
If the injury is confirmed as a break Hargreaves will be forced to miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia next month.
His absence would pose a problem for England head coach Steve McClaren, who has seen Hargreaves establish himself in central midfield and win over the many doubters who claimed he was not international class.
Hargreaves has played his best football for England in the past three months and his presence in a defensive midfield role has freed up Steven Gerrard to move to the right side, where the Liverpool captain has flourished.
Michael Carrick could be asked to replace Hargreaves, or Gerrard may even have to return to the centre for the October double-header.
However the knee injury sustained by Aaron Lennon, which requires surgery, means the Tottenham player will certainly miss the qualifiers and he would have been the most logical replacement for Gerrard on the right.
McClaren may find there is a case for recalling former captain David Beckham if he desires an experienced substitute for Hargreaves in the squad.
Beckham, 31, has stated his determination to win back his England place, having so far been omitted by McClaren.
As well as denying Bayern a key man for their domestic and European campaigns, a broken leg may also force United to abandon their plans to try again for Hargreaves in January.
United made their interest clear last month as they looked to bring a ball-winning midfielder to Old Trafford.
Hargreaves admitted he was flattered yet Bayern vowed they would not sell. Hargreaves is under contract with the German club until 2010.
United have admitted that they will be quick to act during the next transfer window should Bayern show any interest in selling a player who came through their youth ranks and has never played in the Barclays Premiership. -
i really want him to come during the january transfer..
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In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Owen Hargreaves has refused to rule out the possibility of joining Manchester United in January.
The England international was fined by his club Bayern Munich over the summer after making public his desire to move to Old Trafford following a successful World Cup campaign.
The German giants resisted Sir Alex Ferguson's attempts to bring Hargreaves to The Premiership for the first time, and the tenacious midfielder was forced to remain in the Bundesliga where he broke his leg on Saturday in a game against Arminia Bielefeld.
Whilst beginning his recuperation from the serious injury, Hargreaves took time out to explain to Sky Sports News that he has no regrets about pursuing a switch to Old Trafford over the summer.
Moreover the international star refused to rule out the possibility that he could join The Red Devils when the transfer window opens at the start of 2007.
"It's tough to say, I don't know [about moving in January]," said Hargreaves.
"I've said what I would have liked to happen and obviously it didn't happen and I think it's important if you have an opinion that you stick to it even though you might receive some criticism here and from the club.
"What happens in the future it's not really down to me, you saw that in the summer and I'm looking forward to when I go on the pitch doing well and playing well because these things all started from me playing well as a footballer.
"Hopefully I can do that and we will see where my path leads."
With Hargreaves now out of England's next two Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia in early October, and Aaron Lennon also missing due to injury, there have been suggestions that David Beckham could be welcomed back to the international reckoning after being axed by Steve McClaren.
Hargreaves certainly believes the former captain still has much to offer The Three Lions.
"There's always room for David Beckham," Hargreaves added.
"He actually rang me up and left a message on my phone, it's strange to have the support of people like that, to see how I'm doing.
"At the moment he is not in the picture but I don't think you can ever close the door on Becks because he is such a resilient individual in the past and still has a lot to add to the team.
"But obviously those aren't decisions I make or he makes, they are obviously down to the manager."
Under the new guiding hand of McClaren, Hargreaves has emerged as an indispensable member of the England team, playing in a new look central midfield with Frank Lampard that has allowed Steven Gerrard to roam free on the right.
The Bayern star is now hoping that McClaren can bring 40 years of under-achievement to an end for The Three Lions, particularly in the wake of a desperately disappointing World Cup.
"The potential is there now, we just need to make the most of it.
"I think we have got everything in place now the onus is on us to do very well, to prove to people we are a great team and that is what we are hoping to do in the future."
Reflecting on his own injury, Hargreaves, who could be back in action by mid-November, is focusing on recuperating fully and returning stronger after suffering the fracture.
"I think the most important thing is to not think why and what could have been, things were going so well I think if that's the case you deal with the good and the bad the same.
"I'm looking forward to getting healthy, I'm taking a small break at the moment and I'll come back even stronger." -
if Fergie inquires about Owen, then he got chance to come over, like what happened with RVN.
But I think it would be better if he can prove his fitness before coming over. -
with the talk about who to replace owen in england, many ppl are forgetting about ledley king....
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yeah, King can do the job as the DM.Originally posted by The man who was death:with the talk about who to replace owen in england, many ppl are forgetting about ledley king.... -
I believe King is better at Centre Half.
I still can't forget when England played argentina, and how this king really looked out of place when playing against Riquelme.
To be a good DM, he should be like Makelele.
Destroyer of football. -
both owen injured
a pity though that he got injured when started to peak