Owen Hargreaves’s strangely peripheral role at Manchester United is not down to poor form but disciplinary issues, The Times can reveal. In particular, Sir Alex Ferguson is known to have been angered by the player’s poor timekeeping, with Hargreaves turning up late for several team meetings.

Signed for a projected fee of £20.2 million from Bayern Munich last summer, Hargreaves has found himself fourth or even fifth choice in central midfield as United chase Barclays Premier League and Champions League trophies. While speculation has centred on whether Ferguson is unconvinced by the England international’s form, it is understood that the manager has been punishing Hargreaves for what he perceives as a slovenly attitude.

The revelation will astound many within the game, given the player’s reputation as a model professional. His dogged, diligent performances have led him to be touted as a possible England captain. But sources at Old Trafford have indicated that Ferguson has been unhappy with Hargreaves’s lack of punctuality. He was late to arrive at Manchester airport on Monday morning before the squad flew to Italy for their Champions League quarter-final, first leg away to AS Roma.

Hargreaves was left out of the starting line-up in Rome, but made an impressive impact as a second-half substitute in United’s 2-0 win, with Ferguson conceding afterwards that he “should have brought him on much earlier”. Some may accuse Ferguson of jeopardising United’s prospects while trying to teach Hargreaves a lesson, but the manager feels that the player’s punishment is necessary and that, in any case, Michael Carrick’s outstanding recent form has left his England team-mate with a point to prove on the pitch as well as off it.

One source said of Hargreaves’s indiscretions that “it might only be a matter of being 20 seconds late, but that is too late as far as the manager is concerned and he [Hargreaves] knows he is either going to have to adapt or face the consequences. It’s a learning process for him, but he will adapt and he has told the manager that, which should be the end of the matter.”

United were dogged in their pursuit of Hargreaves, but his first season at Old Trafford has not gone as smoothly as expected. He arrived in July with a tendinitis problem in his right knee and has suffered from a series of minor ailments, though injury alone cannot explain why he has started only 17 of United’s 47 matches this season. He was bought partly to strengthen United’s midfield for the Champions League, but, remarkably, he has started just one of their nine matches in the tournament.

Hargreaves’s future at Old Trafford is not thought to be in immediate jeopardy, but the 27-year-old has been left in no doubt that he must clean up his act if he is to remain integral to Ferguson’s plans. As if to prove the point, the United manager expressed admiration for Daniele De Rossi, the Roma midfield player, this week, having previously enthused about Miguel Veloso, who plays in a similar role for Sporting Lisbon.

The demands of the run-in may dictate that Hargreaves starts away to Middlesbrough on Sunday or in the second leg against Roma on Wednesday. With six Premier League games remaining — including serious tests at home to Arsenal and away to Chelsea — and the likelihood of two clashes with Barcelona in a mouthwatering semi-final, Hargreaves would certainly be an asset for United in the coming weeks, but, unless he can persuade his manager of his professionalism, he is in danger of being left on the margins.

- Manchester United’s relief that Nemanja Vidic had not suffered a serious knee injury was tempered yesterday by the news that their talismanic Serbia defender will be out of action for up to three weeks. Vidic was substituted 34 minutes into United’s 2-0 victory over AS Roma in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on Tuesday evening after appearing to twist his left knee as he fell awkwardly. United were fearful that Vidic may have suffered ligament damage and, in turn, miss the remainder of the season, but a second scan yesterday revealed no serious problems.