Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has revealed how he took manager Alex Ferguson to task on what the Scot wrote about him in his 2013 autobiography.
A book in which the iconic Manchester United manager attempted to settle old scores with everyone from Roy Keane to Ruud van Nistelrooy, Owen Hargreaves had no inkling of what Ferguson thought of him.
Signed from Bayern Munich in 2007, the former England international enjoyed a stellar first season with the club as they claimed Premier League and Champions League success.
However, the Canadian-born Hargreaves endured no such luck thereafter and managed only a handful of games across his remaining seasons at the club.
"When I signed him, there was something about him I didn't like," wrote Ferguson of Hargreaves in his 2013 book. "He had no confidence in himself whatsoever.
"He didn't show nearly enough determination to overcome his physical difficulties, for my liking. I saw him opt out for the easy choice too often in terms of training.
"He was one of the most disappointing signings of my career."
As Owen Hargreaves has revealed to the Manchester Evening News, it was not a characterisation of his time at the club that he took kindly.
Owen Hargreaves and Chelsea's Frank Lampard during the UEFA Champions League FinalThe two-time Champions League winner opted to call Alex Ferguson upon discovering what the Scot had written about him.
"I was surprised myself," he admits now. "My family were really surprised.
"I think anyone who's been around me knows that I left home at 15 alone, to go to a country where I couldn't speak the language to play football.
"I left the comfort of Bayern Munich to play for Man United because I wanted to represent Man United, to play for Sir Alex and be part of that great team.
"I never took the easy step. I played for a country I wasn't even born in because I wanted to be the best.
"I probably never should have been a professional football player, based on my start! But I worked my way and, obviously, didn't finish the way I wanted. A lot of things went into that.
"As much as it was disappointing for him not having me play - because when I was fit, he played me all the time."
Despite Ferguson's assertion that Hargreaves had been one of his outstanding disappointments at the club, the former England international assured him it had been a greater disappoint personally.
"That was my career," notes Hargreaves. "To this day, I haven't done a day of sport since. I can't because of my knee.
"If you just forget the football side, my career changed from one day to the next and for a young man chasing a ball around all of his life, it was a pretty significant day.
"I haven't been able to play sport like that since. To say it went the way I envisioned would be a lie."
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