WAYNE Rooney is predicting Michael Owen's move to United will give the England sharp-shooter a new lease of life.
Owen's
career appeared to be heading for the buffers until Sir Alex Ferguson
stepped in with the offer of a two-year contract which could turn out
to be one of the Scot's masterstrokes.
Nothing too much
will be read into Owen's goal at the Bukit Jalil Stadium that gave
United a 3-2 win over a Malaysian Select XI they will also face in the
same stadium later today.
However, Rooney can sense his old international colleague is ready to explode again.
"Over
the last couple of years Michael has had some criticism but it would
have been difficult for any player to score in the Newcastle team he
was in last season," said Rooney.
"He looked really sharp
in training. He is working very hard and you could see by the way all
the lads celebrated with him how pleased they were for him when he
scored.
"This move will give him a new lease of life."
The
same could also be said for Rooney, who opened United's account with a
tap-in on Saturday and then set Nani up for their second.
Position
For
if one man is going to profit from Cristiano Ronaldo's world record
£80million exit, it is surely Rooney given he can now abandon his
station on the wing and resume a forward role in which Fabio Capello
feels he has few peers in the world game.
"We haven't spoken about it but I am sure that is where I'll play," he said.
"Everyone
knows it's my best position. I enjoy it more than being out on the
flanks - it's less work and you get more chances to score. As a forward
that's what you want."
Like Owen, Rooney knows it will
take a collective effort to cover the 67 goals from the last two
seasons Ronaldo left as his legacy before moving to Real Madrid.
The
pair might have had their differences on the international field, but
Rooney's respect for the Portugal superstar's abilities is immense.
"I have spoken to Cristiano since he left and wished him well," he said.
"He was a great player for Manchester United but it was his wish to go and I think the club have respected that.
"Both for the club and Cristiano himself it was a good deal. The money we got for him was unbelievable.
"We don't feel let down by him. We always knew he was going to go sometime."