Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits Owen Hargreaves' Champions League experience with Bayern Munich influenced his decision to bring the England midfielder to Old Trafford.

"His knowledge of Europe was one of the reasons I thought he'd be a great signing for us, and I think he is," Ferguson said. "He's got the understanding of the game, particularly from a counterattack point of view because of his speed to get to things and stop the flow of opponents playing. He's so quick over the ground and he has that nous about the game."