Capello hints at Hargreaves England call

Owen Hargreaves has been thrown a lifeline by Fabio Capello, after the England boss opened the door for him to return.

Capello has welcomed Hargreaves’ decision to relaunch his seemingly stalled career with Manchester City and feels he could yet play his way into his Euro 2012 squad.

The England boss is mindful of Hargreaves’ experience on the international stage, even though the midfielder managed just 11 minutes of action in the last two years for Manchester United because of injuries.

“I hope he will be really good in the short term for Manchester City, and also for England,” said Capello.

Hargreaves will be heartened by the Italian’s encouraging words and he says he is up for the challenge of fighting for his place at City.

He pointed to his decision to leave home in Canada when he was just 16 to join Bayern Munich as proof that he has the character to succeed with the Blues.

“I like to measure myself against the best and I’ve always taken on challenges,” he said. “I left Canada for Germany as a kid and I’ve left comfortable situations before.

“It’s a fantastic group of players here and I hope that I’ll be a good addition to these guys and help them out.

“I’ve lived in Manchester for four years and this move just fits. You’ve got to trust your instincts.”

The 30-year-old, who posted videos of himself working out on YouTube to try to convince managers that he is over his injury hell, refuses to set a target for his City debut.

The free-agent signing dreams of facing Bayern in the Champions League, but it is likely he will be omitted from the Blues squad for the group phase because of his lack of match fitness.

“It’s important that you get back into a rhythm of playing football and I haven’t done that for a while,” he said. “There are tons of games to come this season in various competitions.

“I’ve never not played in the Champions League and it’s been pretty much been standard for me every season.

“Bayern are a wonderful club - I had a great time there and won the Champions League with them. They are going to be tough opposition and it will be an exciting game for the club.”