Time is running out for Owen Hargreaves to be a Manchester City superhero The big question, however, revolves around whether he will actually be fit enough - after almost half a season at the club - to fulfil the role Mancini had set aside for him when he signed his one-year contract last August. Having failed to lure Daniele de Rossi from Roma last summer, Mancini was urged by Franco Baldini, Fabio Capello's trusted right-hand man, to turn to Hargreaves as cover for Touré, Barry and De Jong in the holding midfield role. Mancini had already identified January as a testing period due to the loss of Touré and Hargreaves, who had attempted to prove his fitness last summer by posting video clips on YouTube of intensive training under the guidance of LA Lakers fitness specialist Alex McKechnie, was recruited to provide experienced, top-level back-up this month. But while the 42-times capped England midfielder marked his City debut in September with a stunning goal in a Carling Cup victory against Birmingham, a failure to convince Mancini of his fitness has resulted in Hargreaves managing just 149 minutes over three games in the first team. He has not appeared since the Carling Cup victory at Arsenal on Nov 29. Mancini said last week: "I hope he can play in the next week because he is OK, but he is not ready to play 100 per cent in the Premier League. In the last week he worked with the team and didn't have any problem, but I hope he can play this month because, when we took him, we thought he would be ready 100 per cent for January. When there is a player who doesn't play for two years, though, maybe he is OK for one week and then there is a problem. Maybe his calf and his knee, there is a little problem. But I hope he is fit for January. Ferguson's decision to release Hargreaves last summer, after the player had even offered to play for nothing this season simply to prove his worth, raised eyebrows following the player's impressive debut against Birmingham. By complaining bitterly about his treatment at the hands of United during his three-year battle against career-threatening knee injuries following that game, Hargreaves shed light on the frustrations of missing out on the prime of his football life. He talked of needing to 'manage" his return to fitness after claiming he felt he was 'made of glass" during his rehabilitation at Old Trafford. But Hargreaves" decision to reject a move to West Bromwich Albion in favour of City hinted at the reality that he was best able to target 15-20 games a season at the Etihad rather than face the challenge of regular first-team football at The Hawthorns. Moving to City was also supposed to help him return to England contention ahead of Euro 2012, but those hopes have now surely evaporated. It is now purely about being fit to challenge for a place on the bench and even that is proving a tall order.