CHAMPIONS LEAGUE INTERVIEW OWEN HARGREAVES: THERE HAVE been times over the past year when Manchester United's supporters could have been forgiven for being perplexed by the apparent inability of Owen Hargreaves to make an impact.

Michael Carrick has drawn appreciative applause for his perceptive range of passing, Paul Scholes has directed operations from the centre of midfield and Anderson has been serenaded by the Old Trafford crowd, but Hargreaves has more often than not been shunted to the edges - hunched up in a padded jacket, sitting with the other substitutes.

By his own admission, he has had a difficult first season. Of the 49 games played so far, he has started only 18. At €23m, he was expected to be a virtual ever-present, probably at the expense of Carrick, yet it is necessary to go back to the August-September period to find the only time the 27-year-old has started three successive games. Alex Ferguson had spoken of recruiting Hargreaves because of his expertise in European football but, remarkably, the 1-0 win over Roma on Wednesday was only his second start in 10 Champions League games this season.

Typical of the man, Hargreaves played with such desire and indefatigability it drew comparisons with his performance for England against Portugal in the last World Cup, another occasion when he had something to prove. Yet he is astute enough to appreciate that United's fans had legitimate reasons to start questioning his contribution. Why, they were wondering, had United spent a year trying to recruit him from Bayern Munich if he were only to play a peripheral role?

Most damagingly, Hargreaves has also had to deal with newspaper reports that a poor attitude, rather than form or fitness, had influenced Ferguson's thinking - and that a player known for his efficiency and dedication had been repeatedly late for training.

The truth is far less sinister and, as Hargreaves points out, anyone who questions his professionalism should come to see how he trains. At the start of the season, Hargreaves was finding his right knee was swollen after every match. There was a dull, throbbing pain. He was diagnosed with tendinitis and he is now on a special fitness programme.

"It's something the doctors say I have to manage because once you get this problem it stays with you," he says. "It's the patella tendon. It's different to most injuries. If you break something, that's easy. The bone or the ligament will heal.

"But the tendon is more complicated. It has to burn itself out. Sometimes it takes a few months, sometimes a few years. It's something I have to manage, because there aren't a lot of answers."

This is nothing new at Old Trafford. Paul McGrath's knees were so shot he rarely trained between matches. "It's not that big a deal," Hargreaves points out, but a comparison can be made with Ryan Giggs, who was troubled for many years with hamstring problems. Hargreaves, like Giggs, now has to go through a series of stretches and exercises before he can take part in a full session.

"I'm trying to do the best I can with it," Hargreaves says. "Some days are better than others, but the club are trying to facilitate me, because at this level the most important thing is to be healthy. It's something I can play through if I get it really warmed up, but to get to that stage is difficult at times."

He is so dedicated to getting it right it is easy to understand why he is so aggrieved by the allegations about time-keeping. "Did anyone actually believe that?" he says. "I've got a good watch, a Swiss watch, and it's perfectly on time, thank you." Ferguson was also angry, describing it as "absolutely rubbish".

Hargreaves is the consummate professional, working tirelessly to maintain his high standards while learning to cope with his injury. Since Christmas, he has been available for every game. "But it's been tough for me to get in the team, because everyone has been playing well," he says.

"Ideally, I'd like to play every game, but it's not possible for me to do that, and you have to say hats off to the lads who have been in the team ahead of me. We've playing exceptionally well for the last couple of months. We haven't lost in the Champions League this season. We're the only team who can say that this season. Plus we've won 11 ties in a row at home. We've got a good rhythm, everyone's contributing and we're playing well. It's not all about me. There is a bigger picture."

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