It’s Make Or Break For Michael Owen

The brochure worked then. Brochure? What brochure? The Michael Owen brochure ofcourse. Yes Sir Alex has taken a gamble, of sorts, in bringing the striker to Old Trafford, offering him the chance to resurrect his career.

.

It’s make or break time for our new number 7. With a World Cup only just around the corner, Owen will know that a successful season for United will see him creep into Fabio Capello’s England squad that, bar an absolutely catastrophic collapse, will be heading to South Africa.

I’m hesitant to say that the signing of Owen is a gamble. I mean we haven’t had to shell out any sort of transfer fee for the former Newcastle captain and with a pay-as-you-play deal in place, we won’t be out of pocket even if he does turn out to be the flop of the century.

What we do have is a man that is chomping at the bit to go out and prove his doubters wrong. We also have a striker that loves playing for his country and with a World Cup approaching, he will be desperate to be on the plane jetting off to South Africa. Surely that can only be good news for United.

So just how important will Michael Owen prove to be in our hunt for silverware this season? Well we all know just how much Ferguson loves to show the world that he is the daddy when it comes to decision making of the controversial kind. Therefore I certainly expect Owen to get a fair crack of the whip. Whether that’s in the earlier stages of the Champions League, the Carling Cup or against the so-called lesser teams of the Premier League, Michael Owen will get games in a United shirt – if he stays fit ofcourse!

Given Owen’s injury past, I’m rather surprised that I’m not even a little bit worried that he may just turn out to spend more time on the physio’s table than on the pitch. Whether that’s because we’re getting the 29-year-old for free or that I’m using his decent pre-season as an adequate benchmark, I’m not so sure but, perhaps somewhat strangely, I’m really not concerned.

I don’t think I’m alone in suggesting that I wouldn’t consider Owen a part of our strongest eleven. At the likes of the Emirates Stadium and Stamford Bridge, although perhaps not Anfield, I would feel much more comfortable with Berbatov and Rooney heading up the attack. That’s not to say I don’t see him playing a part and with four goals in pre-season (albeit against mediocre opponents), he’s shown that he knows exactly how to find the back of the net.

Words can’t describe just how utterly brilliant it would be if Owen notched against Liverpool in front of the Kop in a United win at Anfield. You can be sure that Fergie will give him the chance to do just that and I’ll end the season a happy man if that’s his only notable contribution of the season!

There’s no question that this season is set to be a big one for Michael Owen, if not his biggest. While I’m not expecting a hatful of goals, a few here and there would certainly be a bonus. It’s just about last chance saloon for the striker’s England prospects too although with competition from the likes of Carlton Cole, Emile Heskey and Peter Crouch, I wouldn’t bet against him eventually being a part of Capello’s World Cup plans.

No Ronaldo? No Problem For United!

There is no doubting the immeasurable void that’s been left in the United side following the departure of one Cristiano Ronaldo. When you remove a player capable of scoring 42 goals in a single season, there’s bound to be a gaping hole left behind. While Sir Alex clearly had no choice but to allow the Portuguese the chance to fulfil his dream of playing for Real Madrid, our trusty Scottish manager has undoubtedly had a major say on who potentially joins/has already joined the club this summer.

Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan and Michael Owen - the three newest members of the Manchester United squad. OK so the aforementioned signings certainly haven’t got pulses racing amongst many of us but shrewd they are nonetheless at a combined total of around £20 million. The underlying fact is that no one in the world can replicate the unprecedented talents of our former number 7 and that’s been represented in our transfer dealings. Ronaldo simply can’t and won’t be replaced, but my question is…are we really that worried?

.

I am firmly of the belief that some of the transfer fees being bandied about during the current transfer window are utterly ridiculous. OK so we are hardly innocent with the £80 million received for Ronaldo but I guess that’s the price you have to pay for the world’s absolute best. I ask would we really be comfortable with the purchase of Franck Ribery for a similarly extravagant price? I certainly wouldn’t. Especially not when we may just have all the ingredients for a successful campaign already in place, right under our very noses.

The stage is set for another Portuguese international to step up to the plate this season. The sale of Ronaldo could just prove to be a god send for Nani and this is his big chance to grab the limelight and prove his fantastic credentials. I wrote an article not too long ago suggesting that perhaps it could be time up for the former Sporting Lisbon man at Old Trafford. Well scrap that, as starting from August 16th, this is Nani’s new beginning.

Antonio Valencia has already shown glimpses on his debut against Boca Juniors yesterday that he could be a very useful addition indeed. Zoran Tosic looks neat and tidy and with a terrific left foot and we know all about the tenacity and work rate of Park and what that brings. While little is known about Gabriel Obertan, Fergie wouldn’t have brought him in if he wasn’t convinced that the Frenchman was capable of developing at the club.

When you put it like that, life after Ronaldo may turn out to be very rosy indeed. Wayne Rooney has already indicated that he’s ready to take on the burden and deliver the goals this season and Sir Alex has appreciated that Dimitar Berbatov could be a much more potent threat if he’s played as the more advanced striker. With the predatory instincts of Michael Owen and the youthful exuberance of Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck, I believe we have enough attacking options without needing to unnecessarily splash the cash.

One of the key components that contributed towards our success last season was the consistency of our back four. Well to my knowledge, nothing has changed in that department and I suppose an added bonus that comes with the sale of Ronaldo is an extra willing worker vacating his place in the midfield. I must also point out that in Ferdinand and Vidic, I am in no doubt that we possess the strongest defensive partnership in European football (with arguably the most promising centre-half in Jonny Evans too).

Although let’s pause and take a breath for a minute. I can’t deny that there is a very small but niggling thought lodged firmly in the back of my mind chipping away at me with every day that passes in the build-up to the new season. I’m hopeful that it will be put to bed by the time we reach Christmas but, dare I say it, what if we head in a similar direction as Arsenal and life after Thierry Henry. The Barcelona star was a similarly massive influence to the Gunners as Ronaldo has been to our cause over the last few years but let’s try not to dwell on that as I’m confident we have the strength in depth to not only cope, but to flourish without the world’s best player among our ranks.

Owen set for dramatic move to United

Well what a surprise this one is and where on earth did it come from?! Michael Owen is reportedly carrying out a, and I quote, 'stringent' medical ahead of a proposed move to...wait for it...Manchester United!

Having lost Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo already this summer, it would be fair to say that the signings of Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen will hardly get pulses racing amongst the Old Trafford faithful.

Then again, how can fans possibly question the judgement of their long-serving manager given the unprescedented success he has achieved during his reign in Manchester.

While Owen has effectively struggled to reignite his career since leaving Liverpool to join Real Madrid, a free-transfer, pay-as-you-play package will suit both parties with a World Cup year on the horizon.

As long as he passes the said medical (which I would guess is by no means a formality given his injury problems of the past), I say good luck to you Michael and I hope you prove all your doubters wrong.