Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has shared a captivating story involving Sir Alex Ferguson and Owen Hargreaves.
While hosting The Overlap Fan Debate with Liverpool great Jamie Carragher, the discussion centered on the significance of physiotherapy in football and the management of injuries. During the episode, both former England players recounted experiences from their careers, highlighting how the field of sports medicine has evolved over the years.
Scholes recounted a particularly surprising incident from 2010, when Ferguson was adamant about fielding Hargreaves despite the player expressing discomfort during warm-ups as he made his long-anticipated return from injury.
“I remember, we had Owen Hargreaves who was unfortunately injured a lot, and the manager eventually became frustrated because we couldn’t get him back.” explained the 50-year-old.
“I remember one game where we were playing Arsenal at home, Owen had been out for some time and was nearly back, and he went out for the warmup and came in feeling his hamstring and you could just see the anger and frustration in the manager’s face.
“He said, ‘You’re playing,’ and that was it. It didn’t end well – within 15 minutes, Owen had to come off and was out for a long time after that – there has to be frustration from managers as well.”
Sir Alex Ferguson forced Owen Hargreaves to play despite injury scare
Subsequently, Ferguson acknowledged that he had engaged in a risky decision, implying that the intense buildup may have contributed to Hargreaves’ difficulties during that period.
Unfortunately for the midfielder, this proved to be his final Premier League match with the Red Devils. He concluded his injury-ridden tenure at Old Trafford in the summer of 2011 by transferring to crosstown rival Manchester City, before retiring a year later after making only four appearances in blue, announcing his retirement at the relatively young age of 31.