• Premier League

Mancini shocked by Hargreaves recovery

ESPNsoccernet staff
September 24, 2011
Owen Hargreaves scored on debut for Man City © Getty Images
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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini admits he has been pleasantly surprised by the fitness of Owen Hargreaves after the midfielder made a successful return to action midweek.

Hargreaves has found himself at the centre of a row between the two Manchester clubs by claiming the medical treatment he received at United hindered his recovery from tendinitis, with Sir Alex Ferguson and the club strongly refuting claims the player felt "like a guinea pig".

Mancini, meanwhile, played down the furore surrounding his new recruit, instead focusing on Hargreaves' remarkably swift impact, given the 30-year-old has spent most of the last four seasons on the sidelines through injury.

"When we took him we thought we could recover him in two months," revealed Mancini. "Our plans were from December or January.

"It will be tougher against better opposition but on Wednesday, he played well. Not because he scored. It was because he moved well.

"Usually when a player comes back after one or two years, he has a problem with his ankle or his muscle. But after the game, there was nothing."

Mancini did, however, raise the tantalising prospect of Hargreaves featuring in the first Manchester derby of the season on October 23.

"We have to be calm and think about his body. If everything is okay in the next two or three weeks, maybe he can play against Manchester United," he said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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