One unexpected transfer that took place last Summer was that of Michael Owen, the often injured striker from Newcastle United who made the move to the Red Devils.
Experts were left scratching their head at this decision by Sir Alex. After Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer the generally accepted view was that a big name would automatically pop in to Manchester United apparel to take over for him. Instead, United got Luis Valencia from Wigan and Michael Owen. A player who has been struggling with fitness and form over the last five years along with more injuries than one can count. The fact that he is a former Liverpool player only adds insult to injury. Their were a few unhappy faces from Manchester United fans when the transfer was announced.
When the deals fine print become known it became apparent that Alex Ferguson knew what he was doing. Michael Owen is intended to be used from the bench and is on a pay as you play deal at Manchester United. He would not be expected to bear the lone striking responsibilities, instead he would just assist when needed.
Only managing to play in a few games as a late substitute it was not the start the Michael Owen would have wanted. However his adoption into the United ranks seemed complete when he came on in the Manchester derby game to net a last minute winner for United to deny City a point at Old Trafford. This goal was expected to kick start more involvement from Owen in the team, their was even talk about a place in the England soccer team if he could find consistent goals.
However since then, it hasn’t really worked out for Owen. Only managing to score four goals from eighteen games this season (many of which he only appeared as a substitute however), Doubt is starting to spread on Alex Fergusons decision to transfer Michael Owen and how long he has left in the team.
Owen’s chances of regaining a place in the England team are getting slimmer by the day it seems. Fabio Capello has stated that his players need to be fit and playing well consistently in order to play for England.Owen has not managed to be do either of these over the last few years. Capello however does not seem to be consistent with all the players in the England squad, Emile Heskey seems certain to make the squad regardless of consistence and performance of Aston Villa.
Owen’s last minute goal against Manchester City has defiantly been the highpoint of Alex Ferguson’s experiment.Owen needs to find goals and consistency over the remainder of the season or it seems unlikely that Alex Ferguson will continue his experiment onto the next season, much in the way youngster Darron Gibson is doing. It’s up to Owen to prove he still has the fitness and ability to stay in the team, at the moment however, it seems likely that Sir Alex Ferguson’s gamble, in the long run, may not pay off.
Tags: mancheseter united, premier league, soccer