Hargreaves hungry for United debut

Owen Hargreaves is eager to get his Manchester United career under way. The England international has just endured a frustrating fortnight, flying out to the Far East with his new team-mates but being unable to kick a ball.

Although the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was convinced the knee injury Hargreaves aggravated at the start of pre-season training would ease sufficiently for him to play some part in United's four-match tour, recovery proved slower than expected. It was only in the last full training session of the trip, in Guangzhou in China, that Hargreaves was able to play an active role.

Tomorrow, Ferguson expects him to finally get involved in a meaningful session at Carrington. Provided all goes to plan, the £18m summer arrival from Bayern Munich should finally get to wear a United shirt for the first time, if not in Wednesday's friendly with Internazionale at Old Trafford then in the following games against Doncaster or Peterborough, or Sunday's Community Shield date with Chelsea.

"I am just dying to play and have the chance to get that top on for the first time," he said. "There are some big games coming up but my goal is to be there on the opening day of the season."

Hargreaves finds himself in the odd position of trying to get used to the English game despite boasting 39 senior caps. But from the little work he has been able to do on the training pitch, he does not believe it will be too much of a problem. In a team full of flair, Hargreaves knows what his job is. It will not be pretty, but he is confident it will be pretty effective.

"The manager has so many options," he said. "Every player is very different and very unique. You look at people like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - they are some of the best players in the world.

"All I can do is get the ball, then give it to one of them to do their thing."

Hargreaves' continuing absence, plus the knee injury Scholes suffered against FC Seoul, means no one is yet sure how Ferguson intends to use his many midfield options this season. One school of thought suggests that Hargreaves, Scholes and Michael Carrick will be accommodated within the same midfield. Another theory is that the trio will be subjected to rotation. Either way, Hargreaves is happy to accept whatever comes his way.

"Not every player is going to play in every game," he said. "That is a fact. The important thing for all of us is that Manchester United needs to be successful.

"If we all miss a few games but end up with a couple of cups in our hands, I am sure everyone would be very happy indeed."