SIR ALEX FERGUSON sensed Michael Owen would give him a selection dilemma at some point this season – and he has not been disappointed.

Owen has been forced to wait for his chance at Manchester United as Dimitar Berbatov took centre stage.

But on his first start since the Community Shield at Scunthorpe on Wednesday, the legendary predator reminded Ferguson he is still a force to be reckoned with by grabbing a second-half brace.

Now Owen is hoping to play some part against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium tomorrow, the start of a big week that also includes a Champions League trip to Valencia.

“It does give me a problem,”

Ferguson said.

“I have known it was going to be a problem since the start of the season, that is why I let Danny Welbeck go to Sunderland and Mame Biram Diouf to Blackburn on loan.

“The form of Dimitar Berbatov has meant that other players have taken a back seat, which is unfortunate for them because they are good players.”

Indeed, Ferguson is adamant Berbatov’s form should be receiving greater recognition.

Ferguson was aghast to wake up on Monday morning to find coverage of United’s 3- 2 win over Liverpool, when Berbatov scored his first hattrick for the club, was dominated by the Scot’s remarks about Fernando Torres.

The United boss accused Torres of trying to get John O’Shea sent off as he won the foul for the free-kick from which Steven Gerrard equalised at Old Trafford.

This was interpreted as Ferguson calling the Spain striker ’a cheat’.

It is a comment he says is not correct.

“You’d think Berbatov would get the headlines, but it was all me saying Torres was a cheat, which was ridiculous,”

he said.

“I thought he made the most of it. That’s not to say the guy’s a cheat.”

Ferguson’s irritation resulted in him cancelling his usual pre-match press conference and instead deciding only to speak with United’s in-house TV station and radio rights holders Key103.

In doing so, he also revealed Owen Hargreaves could soon be back from his long-term injury problems.

Hargreaves has managed just one minute of senior action in the past two years since undergoing surgery on both knees to try to cure a tendinitis problem.

Further doubts over the England midfielder’s career were raised this summer when Ferguson sent him back to Dr Richard Steadman in Colorado for more work after experiencing more discomfort during pre-season training.

Ferguson revealed earlier this month that Hargreaves would be returning to England in the near future and that encouragement was enhanced by Steadman’s recent observations about how well the 29-year-old has been progressing.

Even so, no-one expected the United boss to be openly talking about Hargreaves actually playing quite so soon.

Yet, after seeing the midfielder in action on the training ground at Carrington this week, Ferguson is feeling quite bullish about a successful comeback.

“Owen has looked very good,” he said.

“After being out for so long, we’ll obviously have to monitor him and see how he’s going to progress in the next few weeks. But it’s good to see him back.

“Because he’s been out for so long you have to see whether there’s going to be a relapse.

“That’s the first thing on our mind at the moment but having watched him in training yesterday if he continues that way he’s going to give me another selection problem, no question about that.”

Hargreaves’ return would be a major boost, not just for Ferguson but also Fabio Capello, who desperately needs strength in the holding midfield department and apparently toyed with the idea of selecting the former Bayern Munich man as part of his World Cup squad despite his chronic lack of appearances.

Another England star on the comeback train is Michael Carrick, who had an injection into his Achilles tendon earlier this month to try and ease some growing discomfort.

Like Hargreaves, Carrick will not come into contention for tomorrow’s trip to Bolton but Ferguson is delighted with the 29-year-old’s progress.

“It was nothing serious, just one of those niggling little problems you can get with your Achilles, particularly at the start of the season when grounds are firm,” said the United boss.

“But he is fine and has started training.”