Near-fit Hargreaves on verge of return at Man U

MANCHESTER, England (AP)—Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says Owen Hargreaves is on the verge of a return to the first team after recovering from the latest in a long line of knee problems.

Hargreaves has had an injury-plagued last two years, during which time he had surgery on both knees to treat persistent tendinitis. The England midfielder had to return to Colorado to see specialist Dr. Richard Steadman after pain flared during preseason training.

Ferguson says Hargreaves “has looked very good” in training and will monitor him to see how he progresses over the coming weeks.

Hargreaves has managed just one brief substitute appearance in the past two years for United.