Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves missed yesterday's victory over Derby County with a calf strain.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed after the match that he didn't want to take any chances with the 26-year-old's fitness.

"Owen had a slight strain in his calf in the warm-up," said the boss. "We can't take chances at this time of year with the number of games we have in December, so we withdrew him and brought Michael Carrick in."