Head Coach Sir Alex Ferguson has remained upbeat over Owen Hargreaves’ chances of overcoming two serious knee injuries that have kept him out since September 2008, but the Scotsman has come out publicly to explain why he felt it was the right decision to leave the 29 year old off of Manchester United’s Champions League roster.

Via Guardian

“It is a hard decision but it is the ­correct decision,” he said. “Owen Hargreaves is not available to play Milan and it is more important for the club to negotiate that game. And if I chose Owen, I would have to leave out another important player and that player could be the one I need for the Milan game.

“His recovery is slow. It is a year and a half since he played for us and I can’t put a time limit on when he will be back now. But he will make an impact in the league. There are more games in the league than in the European Cup and I don’t need to register him for that.

“It is bound to be hard for him. The physios are doing their best with him. There are times we feel he is almost there and now it seems to be slow again. But I am confident he will be back before the end of the season.”