Hargreaves claims he felt like a 'guinea pig'

Hargreaves, whose three-year fitness nightmare at Old Trafford meant he played just six minutes of first-team football since September 2008 following double knee surgery to resolve a tendinitis problem, emerged from the wilderness with a goalscoring debut for Manchester City in Wednesday’s Carling Cup victory against Birmingham.

The 30-year-old midfielder, now attempting to relaunch his career at the Etihad Stadium after being released by United at the end of last season, claims he was left to “pick up the pieces” following the unsuccessful attempts to overcome his injuries at Old Trafford.

Hargreaves, a £19million buy from Bayern Munich when he arrived at United in May 2007, claims his treatment at Old Trafford failed to bring about the anticipated recovery and therefore proved to be a major factor in his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

When asked whether he believed that his injuries had been mishandled by United, Hargreaves said: “You’d have to ask them [United], but there were a few crucial points at times.”

United declined to comment on Hargreaves’s allegations yesterday. However, they have an unquestioned reputation for medical care of players and there is no evidence of misdiagnosis or mistreatment in this case.