United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed today that former Liverpool star Owen has returned to full training following a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since October.
If Owen continues to progress well he will be in line to help United's title challenge before the New Year.
Ferguson told MUTV: "He is doing very well. He took part in the football side of it yesterday.
"I would say he's two weeks away from playing. We need to make sure he does a good stint of football training before we bring him into the games."
However, England midfielder Hargreaves is no nearer a return from a hamstring problem sustained against Wolves on 6 November.
Hargreaves suffered the problem just six minutes into his comeback after 18 months on the sidelines following knee surgery.
Ferguson added: "It's a bad blow for the lad and it's hard to take, given the length of time he's been out and the amount of football he's missed."
