• Premier League

Hargreaves ponders retirement

ESPN staff
June 15, 2012
Owen Hargreaves managed just one Premier League start for Manchester City last season © PA Photos
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Owen Hargreaves has told reporters that he will call time on his footballing career this summer if he cannot continue to play at the level he is used to.

Hargreaves, 31, who controversially crossed city lines last summer to switch Old Trafford for Etihad Stadium, was released by Manchester City last month and is yet to find a club for next season.

Having made a goalscoring debut against Birmingham City in the League Cup, Hargreaves' attempt to rebuild his injury-hit career at Eastlands fell away, with the midfielder making just three more appearances before his summer exit.

"I don't want to chase something,'' he said. "If I get the right fit I will go for it. But I am not forced to do anything and if I can't get back to the level I'm used to, I don't want to play.

"I am a football player. That is how I am identified as an individual. I was pretty humbled in the sense that was taken away from me. Now it is about taking the next step and deciding what I want to do.

"But the really satisfying thing is that I have put myself in a position where I can actually think about it. Maybe I will never be in a Champions League final or semi-final again but to get to where I am now is a huge achievement.''

Should he decide to call time on his career this summer, Hargreaves will have plenty of options open to him, but is yet to give an indication of where his future lies.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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