OWEN OUT TO END ENGLAND EXILE
-
Ryan Giggs is confident Manchester United will continue to prosper, even without the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
The departed duo were major inspirations behind United's Champions League-winning campaign two seasons ago.
And while Tevez ultimately left in bad-tempered fashion, annoyed at his lack of first-team opportunities, Ronaldo was also a key figure in a third straight Premier League title last term.
However, in his 18 years as a United regular, Giggs has seen countless stars come and go. On each occasion, the Red Devils have responded in the perfect manner.
And the Welsh veteran can see no reason why it should be any different this time round.
"Since I came into the team the likes of Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane and David Beckham have left the club,'' he said.
"But that is what the manager is so good at - reshaping and re-energising the team. Carlos and Cristiano were great players but we move on. As players it's like ships in the night. You just get on with it.''
Indeed, while only one of United's three summer signings is part of the squad currently touring the Far East, it would appear Ferguson has already unearthed someone who can replace Tevez in particular.
Michael Owen's background as a former Liverpool player may ensure he is never received quite as warmly as Tevez was. But the early indications are he could be more deadly in front of goal.
Owen scored in both United's games against a Malaysian side in Kuala Lumpur early this week.
And while the focus is now bound to be on Park Ji-sung as the Red Devils head to South Korea, Rio Ferdinand has a feeling his international colleague can be a big hit at Old Trafford.
"The lads get a great buzz out of seeing someone like Michael Owen score goals,'' he said. "When he signed for the club there were a lot of doubters out there. People were saying all kinds of things about him. We have heard it all.
"But the players go in there with an open mind and just hope to see the player we know Michael can be. He is one of those players you might not see for 90 minutes but in time added on, he will score a goal. Those are the type of players you need to win things.
"It is great to have him in our squad because he is such a good player and a fantastic lad to have around. Fingers crossed he can have an injury-free season and score some goals for us.''
-
Ryan Giggs expects Michael Owen to shine for Manchester United this season after watching the former Liverpool man bag two more goals in a 8-2 friendly win over Hangzhou Greentown.
Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to snap up Owen from Newcastle on a free transfer raised lots of eyebrows, but Giggs is convinced it will prove to be a sharp bit of business.
"It just proves what we all knew anyway, that he's a goalscorer," Giggs said of Owen's performance.
"He scores all kinds of goals and he's done really well so far."
Ferguson added that he believes Owen has been given a new lease of life by the opportunity to play for United after his career appeared to be on a downward turn.
"Michael's contribution was very good," he added on MUTV.
"I think he was delighted to join us and was excited to play for us. He's excited to move to a club where there's attacking play all the time and I think that's what he needs."
-
"Just imagine Michael Owen scoring a goal at the Stretford End," urged the relentlessly enthusiastic man on the PA. It still sounds strange, but perhaps repetition will bring a normality to it. These are surreal times at Old Trafford: directly in front of the press box, there were as many fans wearing shirts bearing David Villa's name as Owen's. One of each, to be precise.
The small matter of 158 Liverpool goals is not easily forgotten but when Owen made the slow trudge to the touchline after 63 minutes, he was greeted by generous applause. Sir Alex Ferguson's decisions rarely meet with open dissent and the same supporters who worshipped Carlos Tevez appreciated Owen's efforts, if not his finishing. His introduction to 74,311 supporters proved to be an evening with the misses.
As Manchester United concluded their pre-season fixtures by defeating Valencia 2-0, the Stretford End did witness Owen bearing down on goal following a fine pass by Darren Fletcher, though imagination was required to see him scoring, the striker skewing his shot some way wide. A further effort, following a surge from Antonio Valencia, missed the other post.
The majority of his opportunities actually came in front of the East Stand, not the hardcore of the United support. Owen, at least, was much more prominent than in much of his Newcastle career without resolving the debate over his recruitment: masterstroke or a sign of desperation? It is too early, of course, to make a definitive judgment, but Owen's advocates have a theory that incorporates two provisos: put Owen in a better team and he will get chances; get chances and he will score goals. On this evidence, the first is certainly true, but it doesn't necessarily lead to the latter part of the equation.
Indeed, an hour at Old Trafford brought more chances than several months at St James' Park. First, he rose well to head Patrice Evra's cross over the bar. It was a reminder that, perhaps appropriately for someone who took a helicopter to training, he appeared at his most dangerous in the air at Newcastle.
Next United's new-look strike-force combined. Owen and Wayne Rooney hadn't previously played a minute together in pre-season and each appears to prefer the company of Emile Heskey in an England shirt. Renewing a partnership that had seemed consigned to the past, they provided evidence of an understanding. A delightful pass from the younger man found Owen, in trademark fashion, lurking on the shoulder of the last defender. He lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper, but watched it trickle past the far post.
Then, following Fletcher's pass, his driven shot was much too close to Cesar Sanchez. It was his sole effort on target, watched by a typically stony-faced Fabio Capello. Ferguson was more lighthearted. "He should have scored four," he said, with a grin. "His movement was fantastic. He probably deserved at least one, particularly the first one. It was a fantastic pass from Wayne, marvellous movement and he was just unlucky."
Four goals in as many games in the Asian leg of United's pre-season may shown that Owen can prosper against lesser opposition. An unconvincing display against Bayern Munich and a profligate showing against the Spanish side cloud the picture.
If Owen's evening is open to varying interpretations, another newcomer was a definite positive. Indeed, there was rare evidence of Valencia overcoming Valencia without any evidence of a self-destructive streak. Valencia - Antonio, United's new winger - provided the cross to unlock the La Liga side's defence. Rooney headed it in emphatically. A second delivery from the right flank was only palmed away as far as Tom Cleverly, accelerating in off the left wing to slot it in.
"The most exciting part was Valencia's performance," added Ferguson. "I thought he was very, very good. He's got great balance and he has got power and speed. Coming to our club, he has taken the challenge well. He is playing with a lot of purpose."
The visitors twice came close when Michel struck the bar with a rasping drive and Tomasz Kuszczak made a superb block to deny Miku either side of half-time. Ultimately, however, the Valencia to impress was an electric Ecuador international.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Antonio Valencia - The Ecuadorian is unlikely to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as a goalscorer, but as an out-and-out winger, he looked a worthy successor. His pace and penetration led to a series of chances.
MANCHESTER UNITED VERDICT: Besides Valencia, Fletcher excelled to suggest he can carry on his fine form from last season. Of the lesser-known players, Cleverly showed some neat touches while, following a nervous start, Richie de Laet overlapped effectively from right-back. Darron Gibson struck the bar and drew a fine save with his ferocious long-range shooting.
VALENCIA VERDICT: Quite how a club with such debts has managed to retain the services of David Villa and David Silva is a source of bemusement. But especially in the first half, before Unai Emery made 10 changes, Valencia looked a very accomplished side, capable of qualifying for the Champions League.
-
Valencia looks good from wat i see from the highlight, fast strong accurate in crosses.
-
Originally posted by ViNnO:
Valencia looks good from wat i see from the highlight, fast strong accurate in crosses.
i do hope he evolves from a out and out winger into more pentrating and threatening forward with ability to score and not only crossing leh.
-
Originally posted by iceFatboy:
i do hope he evolves from a out and out winger into more pentrating and threatening forward with ability to score and not only crossing leh.
Yeah which man utd fan doesnt lol. But at least he is better than nani for now, hopefully next half of epl season he can become a goal scoring machine. -
Michael Owen will miss the cut when Fabio Capello trims his pre-selection squad this evening to a 23-man party for England’s friendly match against Holland on Wednesday, with Sir Alex Ferguson telling the forward that he must rebuild his reputation at Manchester United if he is to earn a place at next summer’s World Cup finals.
Although Capello included Owen in a squad of more than 30 names, having been impressed by his movement during United’s 2-0 friendly win over Valencia on Wednesday, the forward will not be among the players picked for the trip to Amsterdam. Capello is likely to stick with Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch as cover for Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey, while Ben Foster, the 26-year-old United goalkeeper, may be the most notable call-up as he looks for an extended run of first-team football at Old Trafford.
Ferguson shares Capello’s view that players cannot be picked on reputation alone, but feels that the England manager would find it hard to ignore an in-form Owen, given the dearth of top-class strikers at his disposal. “England are not endowed with a bunch of top strikers,” Ferguson said. “The only consistent one has been Rooney.
They’ve tried Heskey and Crouch and even included [Theo] Walcott in the World Cup squad at 17, which I still can’t understand. There is a dearth of really top strikers in the country.
“That gives Michael Owen a chance. He has operated really well for us so far. He has shown some really clever stuff and I’m really pleased with him. It’s only through what he does here that Fabio can really look at him. His name and reputation will not get him into the World Cup. It’s what he does with us that will, hopefully, get him into the England squad for South Africa. Fabio has to pick the best players and he’s not going to pick a player on his reputation from eight years ago.”
Capello’s views on the matter mirror Ferguson’s, the England manager keeping his mind open to a recall for Owen, despite having picked him only once in his first 15 games in charge. Capello is encouraged by the idea of Owen recovering form and fitness at Old Trafford, but it will take more than his four goals in four games on United’s pre-season tour to Asia to win a recall to the squad.
Owen, in an interview published in Sport magazine yesterday, said: “I would love to get that place back in time, but at this moment playing well for Manchester United, scoring goals and earning my place in the team is the priority. If England comes as a result, fantastic.”
Bert van Marwijk, the Holland coach, has shown his confidence in the Dutch players facing an uncertain future at Real Madrid by naming them in his 22-man squad. Van Marwijk yesterday included Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Arjen Robben, who are all the subject of transfer speculation in the Spanish media.
-
Michael Owen will keep his head down and continue battling to win back his England place.
Even though he was named in Fabio Capello's provisional squad, Owen missed out again on Saturday night when the Italian made the final cut for England's friendly with Holland in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
It has come as a blow to the 29-year-old after starting life at Manchester United by scoring four goals during their pre-season campaign.
However, Owen will not allow the setback to get him down and is hopeful the goals continue to fly in once the Premier League campaign starts next week and that his England exile - which dates back to the defeat by France in Paris nearly 18 months ago - will eventually be brought to an end.
"I've been in the provisional squad quite a few times but the final squad is the one you want to be in," he said.
"I have had a good start to my United career. I haven't missed a training session or a match.
"But it's down to the management. I have just got to continue doing well and see where that takes me."
It could be argued the opposition Owen faced in the Far East, when he scored all his goals so far, was not exactly the strongest.
However, as the former Liverpool star pointed out, you can only score against the defenders put in front of you and he is confident once the Premier League champions tackle Birmingham at Old Trafford, he will continue in the same vein.
"I have done as well as I can in pre-season, now I am just eager to start the new season like anyone else," he said.
"It has been easy to settle in at United. The players have made me very welcome and I feel like I have been here a couple of years already.
"Now I just want the season to start."