MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves will be out of action for five weeks after injuring his hamstring in his comeback on Saturday.
Hargreaves limped off minutes after starting for the first time since September 2008 and Alex Ferguson said Tuesday that the English footballer could be back in action by mid-December.
"His training performances for eight or nine days previously had been terrific," Ferguson said. "He had done really well, which is why we took the chance.
"But maybe the tension in the buildup for the lad was too much and he suffered because of it."
Before Saturday's Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hargreaves had made just one substitute appearance in two years because of tendinitis in his knees.
"We were at the stage where we knew Owen's knee was OK," Ferguson told Manchester radio station Key 103.
Hargreaves, who was replaced by Bebe, will miss at least five Premier League matches starting with Wednesday's derby against local rival Manchester City as well as Champions League fixtures against Rangers and Valencia.
If the prognosis is correct, he could return for the Dec. 13 match with Arsenal.
"We feel so sorry for him," teammate John O'Shea said. "He was so looking forward to it and we were really excited for him as well after all the hard work he's put in.
"He's worked very hard to get to this point and I'm sure there'll be a few little niggles. He's just got to get over them quickly."