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.
He will do so wearing 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.
"It does irritate me that so many people have doubts," he
said.
"But if there is one thing I am angered by, the injury thing
would be it.
"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.
"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.
"I am 29 and have played over 500 games for club and country.
That says it all."
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."
His observation clearly didn't put Ferguson off signing a player
he spent so many years trying to stop, but the United manager does
not feel Owen was helped by the handling he received during the
early years.
Ferguson has still not forgotten sending Ronnie Wallwork and
John Curtis away to Malaysia in 1997 as part of an England Youth
team Owen was also part of and noting that while his players
returned to a six-week break, their young team-mate was unleashed
on the Premier League by Liverpool and followed up with his
momentous appearance the World Cup in France, when his career was
really ignited.
"I remember it well," said Ferguson.
"I remember saying at the time it was unfair to have that strain
and intensity of matches at big tournaments, one summer after
another, with no summer break."
Ferguson freely admits that while he monitored Owen during the
final year of his contract at Newcastle, knowing the Chester-born
star could leave St James' Park for nothing at the season's end, he
probably would not have swooped had Karim Benzema not been caught
up in the whirlwind that has become Real Madrid's summer spending
spree.
However, once Benzema opted to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo
and Kaka, Ferguson went for Owen.
And, while plenty of supporters have their doubts, he is
convinced the move will be a fruitful one for all parties.
"Michael gives us experience in the penalty box, which is
vital," said Ferguson.
"He has always had that little knack of losing defenders in the
last third.
"I know he will score a lot of goals for us. He has been great
at that for years."