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I'm fit for United - Owen

Mon 13 Jul, 05:13 PM


Michael Owen is desperate to shrug off the injury-prone tag that Manchester United's new recruit feels he has unfairly been given.

Owen will get the chance to spearhead United's attack this season following Sir Alex Ferguson's surprise statement that he will not be doing any more transfer business this summer.

"There is no doubt I have had injuries in my career. But there is a long list of players that have had a broken metatarsal. It does irritate me that so many people have doubts," he said.

Owen will wear the number seven shirt vacated by Cristiano Ronaldo and accompanied by a great deal of scepticism about his general fitness, a situation Fabio Capello has reflected on more than one occasion has kept Owen out of England contention.

Yet the former Liverpool star does not feel the facts bear out such opinions.

Although he accepts a broken metatarsal and subsequent cruciate knee ligament injury, caused as a direct result of rushing back to action too quickly in order to appear at the 2006 World Cup, wrecked his first two years at Newcastle, with 33 and 32 appearances to his name in the second half of a four-year deal, Owen believes there is little wrong with his body.

He added: "I was foolish trying to rush back for the World Cup and my leg had just come out of plaster.

"But I played 33 and 32 games in the last two years in a team that was not in Europe and did not go on a decent cup run. Still I was continually labelled injury-prone, which gets up my nose."

What Owen does accept the need to prove is the retention of ability that has made him only the fourth striker in England history to score 40 goals for his country.

"In certain parts, people do have a justification to have a go at me," he said. "I didn't set the world alight in the last year at Newcastle. That is no-one's fault but mine. We were not playing well as a team and I wasn't doing my bit either."

 

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  1. owen will b near the top of the goal scorers table this­ season.fergie will look after him like has done with­ giggs and scholes and what he did do with beckham.get­ off hes bk and give him a chance to prove that hes fit.

    From tony537, on Mon 13 Jul 8:39PM

  2. In SAF we trust.

    From farsical, on Mon 13 Jul 8:22PM

  3. hey up Hutch.
    "In certain parts, people do have a­ justification to have a go at me," he said.­ "I didn't set the world alight in the last­ year at Newcastle. That is no-one's fault but mine.­ We were not playing well as a team and I wasn't­ doing my bit either."
    I agree with you,but,surely­ the manager must have been aware.

    From farsical, on Mon 13 Jul 8:20PM

  4. manure fans the best thing about this is he's free­ other than that this will be an embarassing­ season-replacing ronaldo and tevez with owen is d@#$#%b

    From d, on Mon 13 Jul 6:54PM

  5. Owen is going to be a Man Utd legend... like it or not.­ He's gonna bang em' in and you and I both know­ it. In Sir Alex we trust.

    From d, on Mon 13 Jul 6:36PM

  6. You know he's going to train his a** of to prove­ people wrong. Could be a great signing for Fergie­ again. In 2 months, maybe we are all saying Fergie­ knows the best again.

    From Silver N, on Mon 13 Jul 5:51PM

  7. alisonmoran1, just a quote from the man himself­ "In certain parts, people do have a justification­ to have a go at me," he said. "I didn't­ set the world alight in the last year at Newcastle.­ That is no-one's fault but mine. We were not­ playing well as a team and I wasn't doing my bit­ either." He doesn't appear to re-inforce your­ argument much does he.

    From john.connolly01, on Mon 13 Jul 4:21PM

  8. sour grapes from the geordies........mike ashley was­ the 1 who screwed newcastleand not michael owen..he­ done what he could,when he was fit in a very poor­ newcaste team......and who can blame him for not­ wanting to play in the lower leagues with an even­ weaker team

    From alisonmoran1, on Mon 13 Jul 4:05PM

  9. Hutch, scandalous innit. You would never get away with­ that in any other industry on the planet. Taking into­ account his wages and transfer fee, he must go down as­ one of our worst signings ever.

    From john.connolly01, on Mon 13 Jul 3:45PM

  10. I guess time will tell, he was a free transfer and he­ cannot be any worse than Berba. Hopefully he will score­ lots of goals for us.

    From Ian, on Mon 13 Jul 3:39PM

  11. So he admits that he wasn't doing his bit for­ Newcastle. What about paying back some of the £110,000­ a week he was getting then?

    From Hutch, on Mon 13 Jul 3:35PM

  12. Owen will be well looked after and groomed again at­ United, you mark my words! Signing with Man United is­ going to be the best decision he has ever made in his­ life.

    From ravi p, on Mon 13 Jul 3:33PM
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