Source: SKY_Sports
Fergie eyeing Hargreaves return
Sir Alex Ferguson expects Owen Hargreaves to be back in action for Manchester United by early November.
The United boss has targeted a return for the influential midfielder in the UEFA Champions League game against CSKA Moscow on 3rd November.
The England midfielder has been plagued by a serious tendinitis problem in recent seasons and has had to undergo operations on both knees.
He has been rehabilitating in America over the summer but is expected back at United's Carrington training complex on 23rd September.
The club now believe he should be fit enough to play in their last three Champions League Group B games and Hargreaves has been included in the 25-man squad for the elite competition ahead of Zoran Tosic and Ritchie De Laet.
Ferguson said: "The difficulty was around what we should do with Owen Hargreaves, whether or not to put him or Zoran in the squad.
Dilemma"It was Owen or Zoran or Ritchie de Laet. It was a dilemma. But we came down on the side of Hargreaves because having taken the medical advice we think he will be available for the last three Champions League games.
"We came down on the side of Hargreaves because, having taken the medical advice, we think he'll be available for the last three Champions League group stage games.
"He's a versatile player who can perform in so many positions, so he could be a very important player for us at that time of the season. That was the reason.
"It is disappointing for Zoran but there is nothing we can do about it. There have been others left out."
United next play Harry Redknapp's Spurs in the Premier League on Saturday and Ferguson expects a tough battle against a side whom he believes can challenge for a top four spot this season.
Realistic chanceFerguson said: "They have a realistic chance of breaking into the top four.
"They and Man City have had good starts and those two are ahead of the rest of them at the moment.
"Harry bought Wilson Palacios from Wigan and I thought that was a good signing to bring that steel into midfield. They have really started well and there's a good degree of experience in the squad."
Rio Ferdinand could be in contention for his first competitive match of the season in the game, while Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia may start on the bench after a long journey back from international duty in Bolivia, where he scored in a 3-1 win to give his country a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
Ferguson added: "Valencia was playing in Bolivia so he'll probably arrive back in November!"
"Just think of a player playing a game in Bolivia on a Thursday morning and expected to be playing at Tottenham on a Saturday, but that's what happens now."
