Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves s long-awaited comeback has been put on hold after it was decided not to play him in a reserve game on Thursday.
Hargreaves, 29, has been sidelined since September 2008 following surgery on a knee injury, but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hinted last week that he could return in Thursday s reserve fixture against Manchester City at Altrincham.
However, England star Hargreaves will instead continue his training programme, with United keen to stress he has not suffered a setback.
A club spokesperson told ManUtd.com: This definitely isn t another injury setback. It just doesn t fit in with Owen s training schedule.
Hargreaves joined United from Bayern Munich in 2007 and has suffered long-term problems with tendinitis, playing only three times in 2008.
In a bid to solve the problem, he had knee surgery in America under the guidance of specialist Dr Richard Steadman.