There’s a certain degree of tragedy that surrounds Owen Hargreaves, a footballer who never got an opportunity to fulfil his full potential and at this point, as much as it hurts to admit it, probably never will. Has it reached a stage where despite the good feeling that surround Hargreaves, Manchester United fans have lost all hope of him ever making a full recovery from his injury problems – or was that stage reached about 12 injuries ago?
When discussing Hargreaves, people usually fall into one of two camps – the cold, indifferent camp, whereby all patience has been lost and all hope expunged or the hopelessly optimistic camp, wherein there’s still a belief that Hargreaves will somehow come good.
I’ve been hopelessly optimistic regarding Hargreaves for quite some time, but enough is enough. There’s only so much disappointment a fan can take. Following the news that Hargreaves is out for the remainder of the season, perhaps it’s time we gave up all hope that the 30-year-old midfielder will ever make a full recovery.
If I were a Manchester United fan, I’d be curious to know what Hargreaves picks up in terms of a weekly salary. The man has made 36 starts for United in four years. I’ve heard speculative reports suggest that he’s on £70,000 a week. That works out at over £14.5m over his four years at the club – meaning that Hargreaves has earned about £404k for every game he’s figured in. He’s an expensive man and that’s before you even figure in the £17m that Manchester United splurged on his transfer fee.
When his contract ends in July it will have been almost three years since Hargreaves contributed anything meaningful to the club. Manchester United sure offer great sick pay. Given the financial difficulties that surround the club, these numbers must be troubling for United fans.
If Owen Hargreaves is to be offered a new contract in the summer, it’s absolutely imperative that it’s done on a pay-as-you-play basis. United simply can’t afford to be handing out money left, right and centre. Even with a pay-as-you-play deal there’s still a base minimum wage provided, as such Sir Alex Ferguson has a tough decision to make regarding whether it’s worth handing Hargreaves a new-deal.
After three seasons of disappointment, Hargreaves has shown no signs that recovery is imminent. Furthermore, we have no idea how good a footballer he will be if he ever makes his return. Even if he recovers, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be even half the footballer he used to be.
Though you can’t help but feel a little sorry for Owen Hargreaves, Manchester United have earned the right to be selfish in this situation. I think the time has finally come for United to sever the link and rid themselves of a player who has sadly drained cash from the club without any meaningful contribution.
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Its sad. He was a great player for both club and country. And for him to go through all this pain.
🙁