Owen Hargreaves has opened up on a private chat he had with Sir Alex Ferguson during his Manchester United tenure, which left the midfielder feeling a little uncomfortable
Sir Alex Ferguson reacts from the stands
Owen Hargreaves has opened up on a private chat with Sir Alex Ferguson
(Image: 2004 Manchester United)
Sir Alex Ferguson once left Owen Hargreaves feeling uncomfortable when he offered to make him a cup of tea.
Ferguson snapped up the midfielder in a £17million move from Bayern Munich in July 2007. Gary Neville initially broke the news to Hargreaves that Ferguson wanted to sign him that summer, with the midfielder holding a meeting with the Scot.
During the chat, Ferguson offered Hargreaves a hot beverage, which left him feeling out of sorts. Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Hargreaves said: "So, I remember Gary was the first one to call me after the World Cup. He was like, 'Boss wants to sign you, do you want to come to Man United?' I was like, 'Yeah, if we can make it work.'"
When asked by Crouch if he had a conversation with Ferguson, he added: "Yeah, of course. Do you know what, I remember one of the coolest things was... because it's quite surreal, all those things you know? We all have a poker face, right? So you're just reading it as you go.
"I remember he said, 'Oh, do you want a cup of tea?' and I remember thinking, 'I can't let him make me a cup of tea, it feels disrespectful.' So I was trying to like get in the mix, but I didn't want to p*** him off either.
"It was cool that he had acknowledged you as a player and wanted you to be a part...See, I remember he said to me, 'You can help us win the Champions League,' and I said, 'Yeah, boss, that's why I'm here.'"
Owen Hargreaves and Sir Alex Ferguson speak
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Owen Hargreaves in 2007(Image: 2007 Manchester United)
It's clear that the now 44-year-old had a wealth of respect for Ferguson leading up to his arrival at Manchester United, given that he had won nine of his total Premier League titles with the Red Devils before Hargreaves was signed. On top of that, Ferguson had also guided United to five FA Cups, two League Cups and a Champions League.
While Hargreaves played a major part in United's Premier League title win in his debut season at Old Trafford, racking up 23 appearances in the English top flight for his new club, three in the FA Cup, and eight in the Champions League, the remaining three years of his tenure in the North West were tumultuous, to say the very least.
Between 2008 and 2011, Hargreaves saw just four more games for Manchester United due to a string of injuries, before leaving the club to join bitter rivals Manchester City. Knee problems kept him sidelined for 573 days between 2008 and 2010, while thigh issues in 2010/11 caused him to miss a further 148.
And while he will have had high hopes for his tenure with the Cityzens, after being signed on a one-year deal, he made just four appearances for the club before he was released in 2012. While City won the Premier League title that season, Hargreaves also left the club without a winners' medal as a result of not playing enough games.
Owen Hargreaves playing for Manchester City
Owen Hargreaves signed for Manchester City in 2011(Image: 2011 Getty Images)
Ferguson, meanwhile, went on to manage Manchester United until 2013, when he was succeeded by David Moyes. While the Red Devils have had a wealth of top-class managers in the years since, including Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, none have been able to emulate the glory years that the legendary Scot achieved during his 27-year reign.
Ruben Amorim is the latest manager to take the reins of the club. He succeeded Erik ten Hag last November after the Dutchman was sacked due to poor performances at the start of his third term. Working largely with an inherited squad, Amorim could only guide United to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League standings last season, but he will hope for more success this time out after receiving the full backing of the board this summer.
The 40-year-old has brought in a number of fresh faces, including Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, and will hope that they provide the firepower that his side lacked last season. But with a win, a draw and a loss from his opening three fixtures, Amorim will hope for more consistency when United return to the Premier League on Sunday to take on City in the Manchester derby.