Ferguson relishing Hargreaves return

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Hargreaves missed almost all of last season with a knee injury but his versatility has persuaded Ferguson to give the Canadian-born player the nod over Zoran Tosic and Ritchie De Laet.

Ferguson said: "The difficulty was around what we should do with Owen Hargreaves, whether or not to put him or Zoran in the squad. It was Owen or Zoran or Ritchie de Laet. It was a dilemma. But we came down on the side of Hargreaves because having taken the medical advice we think he will be available for the last three Champions League games."

He added: "He's a versatile player who can perform in so many positions, so he could be a very important player for us at that time of the season. That was the reason.

"It is disappointing for Zoran but there is nothing we can do about it. There have been others left out."

United play Tottenham in the evening Premier League kick-off on Saturday with Ferguson predicting Harry Redknapp's side could finally break the stranglehold of the 'Big Four'.

"They have a realistic chance of breaking into the top four," said Ferguson.

"They and Man City have had good starts and those two are ahead of the rest of them at the moment.

"Harry bought Wilson Palacios from Wigan and I thought that was a good signing to bring that steel into midfield. They have really started well and there's a good degree of experience in the squad."