Hargreaves glad to be back

Injury has ravaged Owen Hargreaves' start to life as a United player, so it's little surprise that he savoured every second of Saturday's win over Middlesbrough.

The England midfielder played 65 minutes of United's 4-1 victory, and turned in another typically combative performance on only his fourth Reds appearance.

"It’s been very stop and start," Owen told MUTV. "You just want to get involved, it’s great to get back in the team and have a game, especially when the game is won.

"I’ve been out for quite some time, so I’m a bit sore, a bit stiff, but those things are part and parcel when you’ve been out. We’ve got a few days before the Arsenal game, so we’ll try and do things right so that I’m fit."

Hargreaves' injury absence has been an unusual one, with recurring knee problems, and he makes no attempt to hide his frustration at being repeatedly sidelined.

"It’s been frustrating because I’ve really had it since the end of last season," he said. "I’ve spoken to a lot of doctors and specialists, and they’ve explained to me that it’s not really a problem with the knee, it’s a structural problem with the biomechanics.

"For some reason my body’s not happy with the way it is, so you need insoles and things to correct that. I’ve been trying to get round it and find the answer because I don’t want to miss any games, I want to be fit for the rest of the season."