Owen Hargreaves Bio

At 26, Hargreaves finally got the chance to play in the Premier League, having made 39 appearances for England but never having played a game in English football.

He moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2007, and though his first few months at the club were dogged by injury he soon blossomed into a vital player, helping United to a Premier League/Champions League double in his debut season.

He was born in Canada and grew up an ice hockey fan but by virtue of his father coming from Bolton, Hargreaves was eligible to play for England. He could have played for Wales due to his mother's country of birth and by 2002 would have been eligible for Germany due to residential rights, having signed for Bayern Munich at 16 while impressing for his native Calgary.

But by then, Hargreaves had already committed to England and turned in some good displays for the Under 21 side before being elevated to the full squad for a friendly with Holland at White Hart Lane in August 2001.

Hargreaves had come of age at the end of the 2000/01 season when helping his club to the Champions League title and standing in for Stefan Effenberg in the semi-final.

He made his competitive debut as a substitute in England's 5-1 annihilation of Germany in a World Cup qualifier in Munich, 2001 and grabbed a place in Sven Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad - playing against Sweden and Argentina before an injury ended his tournament.

Hargreaves also made it into the England squad for Euro 2004 but he was confined to his usual role of substitute.

In fact, by the time he was picked for the 2006 World Cup, he had become lampooned by many in England, due to Sven Goran Eriksson fielding him in strange and unfamiliar positions.

But once played in his rightful role as anchorman in the midfield he became the revelation of the tournament for England, as his team-mates flopped badly around him.

By the summer of 2006, he was a player much wanted by English clubs and Sir Alex Ferguson hoped to add him to midfield unit as a defensive midfielder they had been lacking since the departure of Roy Keane.

But Bayern played hardball for a player who had won four Bundesliga titles and three German cups in his seven seasons in Bavaria.

And it became a protracted saga that only ended when United paid the £17m that Bayern had asked in the first place. Hargreaves signed a four-year deal at United and got the chance to achieve his ambition of playing alongside his England colleagues in the Premier League.

He made his United debut in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, but featured only four times before November due to niggling injuries. Back to fitness, he proved to be a real asset. With controlled and intelligent displays, and a danger from set plays, Hargreaves looks to be another astute purchase for Sir Alex Ferguson.