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Hargreaves flies in fit and ready for the United cause

Sir Alex Ferguson is due back behind his desk at Manchester United’s training ground this morning and, while his in-tray includes difficult decisions to make over several fringe players, his first duties will include welcoming Owen Hargreaves to the club. The England midfield player will fly in from Canada to put his signature to a four-year contract today, formalising the £17 million transfer from Bayern Munich that has been a year in the waiting.

Hargreaves, whose contract takes effect from Sunday, will briefly return to Munich before joining his new teammates for the start of pre-season training a week today and he has declared himself fit to participate fully from the outset. The 25-year-old made only a handful of appearances for Bayern after breaking a leg last September and was forced to miss England’s matches against Brazil and Estonia this month, but he is understood to have informed United’s coaching staff that he is fully fit after a summer of recuperation in his native Canada.

That would leave Hargreaves free to join his new teammates on their pre-season tour to Asia next month, with matches scheduled in +++yo, Seoul and Macau and a fourth game probably in Guangzhou, China. Nani, the 20-year-old winger signed from Sporting Lisbon, may appear for some of the tour, despite playing for Portugal in the European Under-21 Championship finals, but Anderson, his fellow newcomer, is unlikely to, given his participation for Brazil in the Copa America, which began in Venezuela yesterday.

Professional Footballers’ Association rules entitle players to four weeks’ consecutive rest between seasons, but Anderson is likely to return in late July or early August to prepare for his first season in England.

Kieran Richardson is another who may miss part of the Asia tour, having played for England in the Under-21 Championship finals, but he may return early in an attempt to fight for his future at the club. The 22-year-old’s prospects at Old Trafford appear bleak in view of Nani’s arrival and he is attracting interest from at least two other Barclays Premier League clubs.

Ferguson also has decisions to make over several other players as he looks to raise funds to buy a new centre forward. He has accepted a £6 million bid from Middlesbrough for Alan Smith, who has yet to decide whether to move to Teesside. Smith returned from holiday in Florida but immediately jetted off to Dubai. He arrives back on Tuesday and will make a decision then. The United manager is also prepared to sell Gabriel Heinze, the Argentina defender, who is the subject of interest from several clubs in Spain. Heinze’s future will be decided after the Copa America.

United also have a £6 million offer on the table from Parma for Giuseppe Rossi, the Italy Under-21 forward, who spent the second half of last season on loan to the Italian club. Rossi is highly rated at Old Trafford, but he has started only one league match for the club and, in view of Anderson’s arrival, may be sold if it enables Ferguson to bid for a centre forward to compete with Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Fabio Quagliarella, the Udinese forward, is one player who has come under Ferguson’s microscope, but his agent, Silvio Pagliari, having talked of a bid from United, said yesterday: “I am convinced he will remain at Udinese.”