By Soccernet

Who would have thought Michael Owen will be training at Old Trafford? Even though it has been a week since the official transfer was announced, the debate on his suitability rages on, at times emotionally charged with disbelief, vitriol and ridicule.

After trading in the “world’s best player” and then signing an over-the-hill striker whose panache has been eroded by a stint at Newcastle and long term injuries, is Alex Ferguson running out of options already? Maybe Ferguson is not desperate but rather, the 32 page glossy brochure depicting Owen as a charismatic, cool, good-looking, articulate, clean, fresh, fit and healthy player have worked its wonders on him.

We will never know but from a financial perspective, this roll of the dice by Alex Ferguson presents mutual benefits and little risks. Manchester United secured Michael Owen’s service on a free transfer and will pay him a low basic salary of about £20,000 a week, with massive performance-related bonuses which could take him close to £110,000 a week. Compared to previous costly errors in the transfer market, this is a shrewd investment by a long mile.

For the player, he gets a taste of Champions League football (instead of fighting relegation battles with Hull and Stoke) and a chance to add Premier League titles to his career highlights. The top-notch training facilities, medical team and lower expectations from Manchester United fans will also provide a conducive environment to resurrect his flagging career, just in time for the World Cup next year.

David Beckham has shown that money is secondary, provided he can fulfill his dreams of playing for a prestigious European club and representing England in the World Cup again. He willingly accepted paycuts in AC Milan and virtually paid out of pocket to settle terms with LA Galaxy. Fabio Capello was rightfully impressed with his determination and there is no reason why he should not give Owen a fair chance if the latter rediscovers his lethal scoring instincts.

Currently, shirt sales attributed to Michael Owen are stagnant, which means that Manchester United fans have yet to warm up to this former stalwart of arch rival, Liverpool. It will take several match-winning performances for Michael Owen to prove his mettle, win over the skepticism of the fans and vindicate Alex Ferguson’s judgment.

Michael Owen

However, even if the club has to contend with a non-performing Owen, the financial losses can be written off easily. Of paramount concern is the dearth of quality reinforcements which could hinder their title campaign next season. With Manchester United’s massive debts, not winning trophies and being forsaken by football fans is a recipe for financial disaster.

In Europe, challenging the likes of Barcelona which handily defeated them in the Champions League and the awe-inspiring Galaticos II of Real Madrid is becoming an uphill battle. On the domestic front, Liverpool and Chelsea breathed down Manchester United’s neck in the closing stages and if not for their inconsistencies which proved insurmountable, the Premier League race could have a different outcome.

Indeed, Manchester United should be beefing up or at least retaining its core assets but they were forced to sell Cristiano Ronaldo, their most reliable source of goals, to Real Madrid. Carlos Tevez is also set for a move to Manchester City or Chelsea, further reducing United’s front line options.

In fairness, Ronaldo has been clamoring for an exit for some time and Alex Ferguson has done his best to extract much value from the Portuguese. Keeping him for another season will only result in a disgruntled player with diminishing returns on the pitch and lower market value as well as disruption to team spirit.

Unlike Arsene Wenger who confessed that his transfer budget is not as generous as reported and Liverpool’s financial quagmire as highlighted by KPMG, Manchester United are flush with cash (from Ronaldo’s sale) and they still maintain a winning touch as domestic champions and consistently deliver in Europe, yet world class talents are reluctant to bite the bait.

Karim Benzema, one of the fans’ favorites, was clear about his career path and never wavered from his ambition to join Real Madrid. As for Franck Ribery, he is understood to show a firm interest in playing for Liverpool. David Villa will only contemplate the overtures of Barcelona or Real Madrid, rather than the gloomy weather in Manchester.

Manchester United’s next target is Aguero but he lacks pace, height and clinical finishing, yet is outrageously expensive. The deal will also require Berbatov to move in the opposite direction, and is a poor exchange even if the Bulgarian’s laziness and inability to convert crucial penalties earned the ire of United’s fans. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, a key member of the current Dutch side, is unappreciated in Real Madrid but Manchester United have yet to table an attractive bid.

But before we jump to the conclusion that Manchester United board has not tried hard enough or are using the money to pay off financial obligations, we have to understand that Spanish clubs traditionally enjoy an upper hand in the transfer market. Florentino Perez’s re-appointment as Real Madrid’s President further strengthened their appeal.

Manchester United always come a distant second when competing on equal terms for established Latin players since the days of Gabriel Batistuta, Marcelo Salas, Patrick Kluivert, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. The arrival of Carlos Tevez is more of a fluke due to the intricacies of his contract, West Ham’s troubles, and the absence of major clubs’ interest.

Under such circumstances, perhaps the fans should be thankful for the arrival of Antonio Valencia (a virtual unknown poorly rated), Michael Owen, and another French youth winger Gabriel Obertan who offers lot of promise, but don’t expect any of the three to make major contributions immediately.

We can draw parallels for this dry period of talents to the 2006/07 season – when United sold Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid and only signed Michael Carrick from Tottenham Hotspur. Fortunately, Carrick managed to bolster a weakened midfield and has since matured into a player capable of holding the fort for the Red Devils.

Of the three recent signings, I place greater faith in Michael Owen to measure up to expectations. Home grown finishers in the Premier League don’t come any better than Michael Owen. In May 1997, at the tender age of 17, he burst onto the scene and began an illustrious career of breaking goal scoring records.

His electrifying pace, poacher’s instinct and goody two-shoes nature made him a hot football property, exactly the type of player who will sit well with Alex Ferguson. England also placed high hopes on Owen that they can finally terrorize opponents into submission.

At Liverpool, Michael Owen forged a fearsome partnership with Robbie Fowler and in fact, hastened the departure of the moniker of God. Owen became Liverpool’s top scorer every season since 1998 until he left the club and had scored more than 150 goals. Despite England’s early exit from the World Cup, Owen was named the 1998 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

In 2001, Michael Owen’s late brace in the FA Cup final against Arsenal took the trophy to Anfield and he completed a treble of honours by winning the UEFA Cup Final against Deportivo Alaves. At the end of the year, Owen became the first English player in twenty years to win the European Footballer of the Year award.

Unfortunately, Michael Owen’s bout of injury in 2003-2004 resulted in a bleak season for Liverpool. Gerard Houllier became the first victim, followed by Owen whose sale to Real Madrid for £8 million was approved by incoming manager Rafael Benitez. Despite being confined to the bench, Owen still ended the La Liga season with thirteen goals, and achieved the highest ratio of goals scored to number of minutes played.

The downfall started when Newcastle United held out an olive branch to Michael Owen who wanted more match time to be in top form for World Cup 2006. The deal was sealed but Owen ended up spending more time in the treatment room than playing for the Magpies. It is fair to say that his injury stems from mismanagement and bad luck.

The broken metatarsal in 2005, tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in a short-lived World Cup 2006 that kept him out for a year and the hernia operation in 2007 effectively destroyed the aura surrounding Michael Owen. In all, he suffered injury or illnesses 16 times during his time at Newcastle and made only 58 Premier League starts.

At Manchester United, I believe Michael Owen will receive better care to shake off his rustiness and get back to full fitness. Under the watchful eyes of Alex Ferguson, the signs from pre-season training are good that the player still retain his scoring touch, is working hard and enjoying his time at Old Trafford. After all, Owen has many friends in the United squad, thus integrating into the team is not a problem.

I believe Alex Ferguson yearns for the return of a conventional striker. Last season, Manchester United have incredible firepower in Ronaldo, Berbatov, Tevez and Rooney, but they fail to outscore their closest competitors. Instead, United’s success was largely based on sound defending as they won games by the odd goal and embarked on a record breaking run of not conceding goal for 1212 minutes. Ferguson will certainly want the defensive discipline to continue but having another clinical striker to put away chances increases their title hopes.

But from so many strikers, why did Alex Ferguson gamble on an injured player? For one thing, he appreciates the fact that rewards, if materialized, greatly outweigh the risks. A case in point is the purchase of Ruud van Nistelrooy. The deal was nearly axed when the Dutchman ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments during a training session. Nevertheless, Manchester United persevered and completed the transfer in 2001 by paying PSV an additional £500,000 for the player’s services.

It turned out to be an excellent transaction as van Nistelrooy repaid the faith and money during his five years stint with 150 goals in 220 appearances as well as becoming the club’s all-time European scoring record with 38 goals.

While Michael Owen may have lost the blistering pace in his youth, he is still among the most clinical strikers in England. If Owen can thrive during Houllier’s era which saw a Liverpool side engaging in a patient game of short passing and counter attack, then he should love the fluid, entertaining play by the Red Devils.

Owen will certainly benefit from the dominant possession and chances created by Manchester United compared to the dis-spirited and incompetent players at Newcastle. Sometimes, the quality of service is so good, a striker need only be there physically to stick the ball into the net.

Manchester United’s attacking style also reduces the need to depend on pace since most opponents are pinned back and have to defend in numbers. Thus, timing and positioning are more crucial factors to capitalize on crosses from the flanks as well as link up play from midfield. Eric Cantona, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were among the influential strikers during Ferguson’s reign but each did not make their mark based on speed.

In terms of commercial success, Michael Owen isn’t a glamor signing like David Beckham who sells merchandise by the truckloads. Fortunately, Alex Ferguson’s transfers stand in contrast to Real Madrid’s vision. He prefers hatchet men to deliver, and the United brand will take care of itself. Thus, he is more than happy to have Real Madrid take David Beckham off his hands, even in the face of huge commercial losses.

Since Michael Owen is not going to start often, his value lies in being a veteran who has played at the highest level and rise often to the occasion. Owen can strengthen the bench for the big games, in the absence of Carlos Tevez.

The Argentine may win hands down in terms of pace and technical skills like passing, dribbling and ball control, but Manchester United have saved themselves £22 million. In addition, Tevez’s impact is not as significant as Cristiano Ronaldo and can be rendered redundant by Rooney.

Owen compensates for his one-dimensional game with a high conversion rate which stands proudly above Tevez, Torres, Berbataov and Rooney. Thus, little separates both players as they are expected to net 10-15 goals a season when coming off the bench.

Michael Owen also serves another purpose of acting as a model to improve the prodigious talents of Danny Wellbeck and Federico Macheda. In recent years, Ferguson has shown a propensity for signing vintage players. Laurent Blanc, Teddy Sheringham and Henrik Larsson were regarded as past their best but their purpose was to impart experience and skills to the youngsters.

Alex Ferguson has certainly come a long way from the impulsive ’90s when he wiped out old guards in one fell stroke and immediately blooding the youth team. However, competition has intensified tremendously and a team of hot-blooded youngsters may be a risky formula for success.

Just look at Arsenal. Beautiful football is dished out by a bunch of youngsters who are not short on skills, stamina and eagerness but their inability to capitalize on chances and hold their ground when the going gets tough is a major stumbling block.

Welbeck and Macheda will eventually step up but not after they have gained consistency and experience. Speaking of experience, some fans may prefer Samuel Eto’o or Thierry Henry. I agree they will be more beneficial for the youngsters but the price will not be cheap either. Since Alex Ferguson has been a long-time admirer of Owen and regards age as an asset rather than liability, this is a good time to pick up a distressed asset for pennies on the dollar.

Overall, Michael Owen makes an ideal replacement for Ruud Van Nistelrooy, an out-and-out striker who put goals away at close quarters. Ferguson can toy with different options by either fielding Berbatov in the hole while pairing Owen and Rooney up front. Or Rooney can play in a withdrawn position, leaving Owen and Berbatov to lead the front line.

But for every transfer success, there are also failures for Alex Ferguson. The United’s medical team cannot always perform miracles. Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were laid out for long spells and could not last the rigors of a full season. Eventually, they moved on.

I cannot say if Owen will be another Louis Saha or Ruud van Nistelrooy but since any player will need a few games to settle down in a new environment, and for someone who is low on confidence and fitness due to a myriad of injuries, it is fair to give Owen a longer time to hit top gear before judging him.

However, assuming Owen rediscovers his form, there are flaws to his game that make Cristiano Ronaldo appear indispensable. Owen may be a natural finisher (with one foot) but he lacks creativity, nor is he capable of holding the ball up on his own or getting past defenders with trickery. He has to feed off other players and his limited game outside the box means you have to build the team around Owen.

Despite these flaws in his game, I am more worried about Owen’s attitude and desire to win. Detractors of Cristiano Ronaldo may denigrate him as a flamboyant peacock and dirty diver, but nobody can deny that he demands an exacting standard of himself and possesses a burning desire to be the best footballer.

Cristiano Ronaldo trains hard – polishing existing skills and experimenting with new tricks to become a more complete player. Alex Ferguson has revealed the secret to the magic which Ronaldo weaves on the pitch and the answer is alarmingly simple: tireless hours of practice.

Does Michael Owen desire to win titles and improve himself? Or does he believe that an old dog cannot learn new tricks? Is he content to warm the bench or just go on the pitch and put in 90 minutes of insipid performance and then collect his wages at the end of the day? If he has this kind of attitude, no football club or manager can help him.

During the final matches of survival for Newcastle, I was disappointed by the Geordies’ lack of heart and character and their nonchalance towards relegation. Great hopes and responsibilities were thrust on Michael Owen but he did not respond in a positive manner. Thus, it remains to be seen if Owen works hard all the way at Manchester United or only impress in the first few matches.

As for Liverpool, they may be indignant but there is hardly any betrayal here. Michael Owen wanted to move back to Anfield on two occasions, giving them first priority and agreeing to take massive pay cuts but to no avail, probably because of injury concerns, transfer fees and more importantly, Benitez’s hesitation.

By the way, Owen is not the first player to ply his trade for both clubs, thus the animosity should not get out of hand. Previously, there were Phil Chisnall and Paul Ince who was appointed Liverpool’s captain. Sir Matt Busby also played for Liverpool before going on to manage Manchester United, making them the first English club to win the European Cup.

Nevertheless, Owen’s arrival at Old Trafford will deepen the rivalry which runs through both clubs from fans to boardroom. Such moves are frowned upon as can seen by Alex Ferguson’s refusal to allow Gabriel Heinze and Carlos Tevez to cross over to the enemy and similarly Steven Gerrard “just would not come.”

Relations between United and Liverpool reached new lows last season with Benitez’s infamous rant about Ferguson. This transfer certainly adds spice to the rivalry and it will be fascinating to see Owen visit Anfield with United in the Premier League on October 24.

Considering Michael Owen’s contributions for Liverpool, the fans should wish him all the best, even if he plays a significant part in a fourth consecutive Premier League title for Manchester United and their record 19th title. I hope the treatment will not be as belligerent as what we saw from the Catalans when Luis Figo switched from Barcelona to Real Madrid.

Will Manchester United get over the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo? There are no shortage of punters backing Owen to be the top Premiership scorer next season and also making the World Cup squad next summer. We shall see, in a few months’ time. Stay tuned for updates.