England midfielder Owen Hargreaves wonders whether he will ever be fully fit for Manchester United due to a chronic knee injury.Hargreaves joined the Red Devils from Bayern Munich last summer, but has started just 14 Premier League matches.

He says there is little doctors can do to cure his patella tendon problem, and claims it could be years before he is fully fit.

The Canadian-born midfielder is keen to play every game for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, but knows competition for places at Old Trafford is fierce.

"It's something the doctors say I have to manage because when you get this problem it stays with you," he told The Times. "It's the patella tendon and it's different to most injuries. If you break something, that's easy.

"The bone or the ligament will heal. But the tendon is more complicated. It has to burn itself out.

"Sometimes it takes a few months, sometimes a few years. There aren't a lot of answers.

"I'd like to play every game but it's not possible and you have to say 'Hats off' to the lads who have been in the team ahead of me."

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