Is Owen Hargreaves on his way to Manchester United? (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images).
Soccer: John F. Molinaro
Manchester United doesn't need Hargreaves
Last Updated Friday, April 13, 2007
by John F. Molinaro
It all seemed a little too suspicious.
The Owen Hargreaves tug-of-war took an interesting turn Wednesday when Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer said the German club would consider selling the Calgary-born midfielder to Manchester United if the price was right.
"If we really get an offer of 25 or 30 million euros for Hargreaves I would think about it very seriously," Beckenbauer told Premiere TV in Germany.
No one knows if Beckenbauer made the comments because United tabled a new offer to buy Hargreaves - the English giants have already been twice rebuffed by the German club - but where there's smoke, there's often fire.
As it just so happened, United manger Sir Alex Ferguson attended the Bayern Munich-AC Milan Champions League quarter-final on the same day Beckenbauer made the aforementioned comments.
Ferguson was in Germany do so some scouting - United plays the winner of the Bayern-Milan game in the semifinals later this month - but the wily old Scot could also have had a quick word with Hargreaves to tell him that a transfer deal is close to being completed.
A transfer to United would please Hargreaves to no end: the England international midfielder has not hidden the fact that he covets a move to the Premiership. He's publicly pleaded with Bayern to sell him to United, even though last summer he signed a contract extension that tied him to the German club until 2010.
Ferguson offered Bayern 25-million euros last September for Hargreaves, but the Germans turned down the offer, insisting that the Canadian was not for sale under any circumstances. It would now appear Bayern is ready to part ways with Hargreaves in order to line their pockets with a cash bonanza.
If a deal is struck and Bayern's asking price is met, good on the Germans for fleecing United for a player who, with all due respect, is over-rated and nowhere near worth the 30-million euro transfer price tag that Bayern has hung around his neck.
United's interest in Hargreaves defies logic.
Ferguson has been looking for someone to replace Roy Keane, a bruising midfield general who struck the fear of God into opponents at the peak of his career, ever since the Irish legend left the club in 2005.
Why he seems to think the Canadian can fill that role is beyond rational thinking.
Hargreaves is very versatile (he's able to play at right-back or as a defensive midfielder) but he's no Roy Keane and the Canadian can't be ranked among the elite class of defensive midfielders who grace the game today, an exclusive club that includes Claude Makelele, Gennaro Gattuso, Javier Mascherano, Emerson, Esteban Cambiasso and Gilberto.
Much has been made about the fact that Hargreaves has consistently been the best player on the England national team since last summer's World Cup, but considering the lacklustre form of the Three Lions since their quarter-final exit in Germany that's not saying a great deal - one tends to tower like a mighty oak in a forest of tiny seedlings.
What's more, United doesn't need Hargreaves.
The Red Devils currently sit atop the Premiership standings and are closing in on their first league title since 2003. They've also reached the semifinals of the FA Cup and the Champions League this season, and still have a good chance of recording their second historic treble - United won the league title, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.
It's hard to think the addition of Hargreaves will significantly improve what is already a strong team such as United, especially with Michael Carrick coming into his own in the Roy Keane role. And if Carrick has an off day, United can still call upon Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea, both talented players.
If United really wants to spend 30-million euros, better to spend it on one or two defenders to strengthen their back-line, a quality strike partner for Wayne Rooney, and a suitable backup for goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
But 30 million on a slightly better-than-average player such as Hargreaves?
It is to laugh.
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