Justifying an inflated £17million fee might be enough for most players, but Owen Hargreaves has even more to live up to. After finally signing a four-year deal at Old Trafford yesterday, he is being hailed as the new Roy Keane.
It is some label and one that has proved beyond Eric Djemba- Djemba, Liam Miller, Darren Fletcher, Alan Smith and even Brazil World Cup winner Kleberson — all seen as potential replacements for Keane, whose Manchester United reign came to an abrupt halt 18 months ago.
All have tried and failed to reach the former United skipper's standards and opinion differs over whether Hargreaves can fill the void following his protracted move from Bayern Munich. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson saw signs of the same dynamism at last summer's World Cup finals, as revealed in Sportsmail at the time, and stepped up a pursuit of the England midfielder that had started several months earlier.
Acknowledging Ferguson's persistence in the face of an initial reluctance to sell by Bayern, a relieved Hargreaves savoured his new challenge and said: "It is great that we've finally reached a positive conclusion. It has been a long time coming and probably football's worst kept secret, but it's great to be here at last. "It feels fantastic to be a United player, especially after all the time and energy that has been put in by everyone involved."
Energy is one quality which puts the 26-year-old in the Keane mould, according to Ferguson, and the view was endorsed by former United No 2 and current England coach Steve McClaren. Comparing United's third highprofile summer purchase to Keane in terms of dedication as well as influence on the pitch, McClaren said: "I will never forget the first time he played in a World Cup warm-up match. He came in afterwards and asked if I'd go through a video of his performance with him.
"He had that great belief, determination and mental strength to say: 'I want to improve'. I have seen him grow and grow. "The majority of good teams have someone in the middle of the park who gels it all together, a player who does the unseen work and allows others to express themselves. At United, Keane gave that freedom to Paul Scholes and Owen has done the same with England. He makes 1,000 tackles and interceptions, all the unseen things that are so important and help make for a better team."
The 2006 World Cup campaign changed the country's perception of Calgary-born Hargreaves. He was booed on to the pitch for the opening game against Paraguay in Frankfurt but was being portrayed as indispensable following a man-of-the-match performance in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat by Portugal.
In contrast, his star was on the wane at Munich. The acclaim that rang out for his starring role in a Champions League semi-final triumph over Real Madrid in 2001 seemed a distant memory as the giants of German football stumbled through their worst campaign in living memory, a fourth-place finish that left them with the ignominy of UEFA Cup participation next season.
Patience finally ran out in January, when Sportsmail revealed that president Franz Beckenbauer had gone public with Bayern's willingness to cash in on Hargreaves' elevated standing in England, saying: "If the figures being quoted are right, we will have to listen."
The figure was 25million euros and, behind the official diplomacy, Bayern chiefs were queueing up to drive him to the airport once his recovery from a broken leg was complete.
"It may sound harsh and Owen was by no means the only guilty party, but everyone here considers him to be synonymous with a disastrous season for Bayern," said a source close to the club.
"No one is interested in him any more and you won't find anyone tipping him to be another Keane. He just hasn't had the same power or drive for Bayern."
