Owen Hargreaves has been forced to pull out of the Uefa Super Cup in Monaco tonight after reluctantly having to admit that he is not fit to play. Hargreaves, who has been troubled by persistent knee problems, informed Sir Alex Ferguson this morning that he had felt in pain during a training session with the rest of Manchester United's first-team squad last night.

The midfielder has not been able to take any part in United's first two Premier League games and missed the entire build-up to the season. He has suffered from tendinitis for the last 16 months and there are genuine concerns at Old Trafford that the England international may have the problem for the rest of his career.

His absence this evening, when United take on the Uefa Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg, will also have ramifications for the England manager Fabio Capello, who has travelled to Monaco specifically to see the former Bayern Munich player. With Steven Gerrard also injured, Capello had been hoping Hargreaves would have been fit enough to be in involved in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia.