Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has encouraged Owen Hargreaves not to give up on his football career at Old Trafford.
The England international has had a slow and painful recovery from knee injuries, and missed most of last season as a result.
Robson, nicknamed "Captain Marvel" by his teammates during his time at Manchester United, gave Hargreaves an encouraging pat on the back and believes that the midfielder needs to be determined enough to make his way back up the pecking order at Old Trafford.
"The one thing Owen can't do is give up," Robson told The Mirror.
"If you give up, then you're not going to come back. So you've just got to say, 'unfortunately I've got these problems and had this operation, but if I'm determined enough then I can get back'.
"I haven't seen him since he's had the two operations because I've been abroad or he's been over in Colorado, so I haven't really had a chance to speak to him.
"But I broke my leg three times between the age of 19 and 21. It crosses your mind that you won't make it, especially when I broke my ankle. That was a different story to my leg, which was a clean break. That's why you come back that little bit more determined."
The 29-year-old made one Premier League appearance last season, coming into United's penultimate game of the season against Sunderland in stoppage time, his first league game since September of 2008.