Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves is set to join Manchester United for around 17 million pounds, which will be the Devils first signing since winning the Premiership title last week.

His arrival would seem to signal Sir Alex Ferguson’s determination to continue with a 4-2-3-1 system, with Hargreaves alongside Michael Carrick in the holding position.

But to splash 17 million quid for a midfielder that can only tackle and couldn’t score is totally a mirror reflection of Carrick signing last season, only that, Carrick couldn’t even tackle.

Okay, they won the Premiership title so Carrick signing is a little bit justified, but another one, time for a reality check here folks - Owen Hargreaves is overrated.

Ferguson has been looking for someone to replace Roy Keane in the heart of midfield, someone that can instill fear into opponents, and someone to do the dirty works. But why he seems to think the Canadian can fill that role is beyond rationale thinking.

Firstly, Roy Keane is a box-to-box midfielder, the perfect example of the engine room, with only comparison to Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard. On the other hand, Hargreaves is more of a holding midfielder, although he works hard on the field, he hardly a game breaker or a type of player that elevates a team.

Yes, he’s very versatile (he’s able to play in defence or as a defensive midfielder) and yes, he was England’s best player at the World Cup last year (although that’s not saying much considering England’s lacklustre display in Germany)

But think about it, the only reason Bayern Munich insisted not to sell him last season was because Hargreaves voiced out in public his attention to join Man Utd. Selling him would meant that Munich have lost the bargaining power and their credibility as a top club.

This season, Bayern Munich just can’t wait to offload him. For them, he is just a slightly better than average player. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Manchester United, Owen Hargreaves is overrated

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