England News

• Nickname:Three Lions
• Founded: 1872
• Manager:Roy Hodgson

• Ground:Wembley Stadium
• Capacity:90,000

'Sore' Owen to miss friendly

20 Aug 2007 - 08:31:25

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Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't expect Owen Hargreaves to be fit for England duty against Germany on Wednesday despite making his Manchester United debut at the weekend.

The £17million summer signing from Bayern Munich finally made his first appearances for the champions during Sunday's 1-0 derby defeat at Manchester City.

But Hargreaves looks set to sit out the friendly with Germany after reporting soreness in a knee injury which forced him to wait to make his United bow.

The loss of Hargreaves means England coach Steve McClaren will be forced to name an experimental midfield against Germany as fractured toe victims Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are unlikely to be risked.

That could mean a rare start in the centre for former captain David Beckham following his recent recall to the international fold.

Meanwhile, Ferguson expects Hargreaves to be fit for United's next Premier League outing against Tottenham next Sunday.

"He was absolutely superb," Ferguson told MUTV. "I think it was a magnificent first performance from the lad, and he was a major influence for Manchester United today.

"His knees are a bit sore now. He'll probably report for the game but I don't think he'll be anywhere near fit enough to play for England.

"He'll need a few days to recover and hopefully we can get him fit for the Tottenham game."