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The halcyon days for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson seem a long time ago after a decade without a Premier League title.
United boasted of some of the greatest players on the planet during Ferguson’s tenure, which saw them win two Champions League titles and a raft of domestic trophies.
Owen Hargreaves was part of United’s 2008 Champions League winning side and despite his injury issues at the club, the Englishman did enjoy a few notable moments in a red shirt.
The former Bayern Munich star was typically seen as a combative midfielder, primarily there to cover ground and recover the ball for his side.
However, as reported by The Mirror, Hargreaves possessed a key attribute that might have gone unnoticed by a lot of United fans, as well as his teammates at the time.
Speaking with Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, the pair reminisced about their time at Old Trafford with Hargreaves highlighting his pace as an underrated trait he had in his locker.
🏃 When Owen Hargreaves raced Anderson for his car 😂
CC: @rioferdy5, Owen Hargreaves, @joelbeya pic.twitter.com/bC1w4JuVXb
— Rio Ferdinand Presents (@FIVEUK) November 12, 2024
“People didn’t know I was that quick, so I could always surprise them,” said Hargreaves, before Ferdinand claimed he was the quickest at the club, much to his teammates’ surprise.
“He came into the training ground when he signed, and we done [sic] testing, and he blew everyone out of the water. He blew everyone away; we used to do like 10 yards, 20 yards, and he won every race.
“Wayne Rooney used to go to the guy, ‘Who’s playing with the machine? Owen can’t be the fastest’,” Ferdinand recalled.
Despite carrying a knee injury that plagued him at United, Hargreaves still remained the sharpest in the tests at United’s training ground and revealed an exchange with fellow midfielder Anderson that nearly cost the Brazilian his car.
“I had just started with my knee. I wasn’t healthy,” Hargreaves continued. “Five, 10, 15, 20, 25 yards. Easy money; everyone would try and put bets to race me out on the pitches because they weren’t accepting it.
“I remember Ando [Anderson], I said, ‘I’ll bet your car.’ That Audi, the white one, a nice car. I said ‘Ando, you ain’t gonna beat me, man, just leave it’,” he said.
Ferdinand confirmed Anderson thought better in the end. “He didn’t bet it. He knew – he saw a couple of spirits, and he said, ‘No, not for me’.” the former centre-back said.
Hargreaves’ knee injury eventually saw his time at United cut short with the midfielder subsequently moving to neighbours Manchester City before retiring a year later.
The former Bayern Munich man played 39 times for United, winning the Champions League and the Premier League title in 2008.