Owen Hargreaves has made a dramatic attempt to salvage his career by posting a series of videos on YouTube showing him training.
Evoking memories of the glossy brochure Michael Owen sent out two years ago to find a club after his contract at Newcastle expired, Hargreaves has gone digital to prove he has overcome the injuries that ruined his four-year stay at Manchester United.
The clips, which are no longer than 45 seconds, show the former England midfielder doing a series of conditioning and strengthening exercises in a gym, putting pressure on his right knee to prove he is not suffering any lasting effects from tendinitis.
Significantly, though, there is only one clip of him striking a football and it is open to debate how effective his efforts to secure a club will be.
So far, there has been only minimal interest from two teams in the MLS - Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC - while many in the Barclays Premier League would be reluctant to gamble on a player who made only 39 appearances for United.
Paul Mariner, the former England striker and Toronto FC’s director of player development, said: “Any club making that investment in a player needs to know he can play on a regular basis.” - Daily Mail