Manchester United striker Michael Owen insists he
has nothing to prove - but believes recent critics Sam Allardyce
and Dave Whelan may end up "embarrassed" about snubbing him
publicly.
The former Liverpool forward was left kicking his heels for a
while this summer after leaving Newcastle and appeared likely to
end up at Hull or Stoke until Sir Alex Ferguson took him to Old
Trafford.
Blackburn boss Allardyce and Wigan owner Whelan distanced
themselves from a move for the England striker - and Owen, 29,
believes they will realise they were wrong.
"If that was how they were perceiving me, fine, because the
greatest accolade I could have is that Sir Alex Ferguson didn't
think about that," Owen told FourFourTwo magazine.
"I can quietly sit here and and look around where I am now - and
if anyone else wants to look at what they've said, then they might
feel embarrassed. I don't feel I have to impress these people.
"I only need to prove things to people who believe in me. I want
to show Sir Alex was right to believe in me."
Owen is unfazed about the challenge of filling the gap left by
the departures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. "The team has
lost two players - Tevez, who scored a few, and Ronaldo who got
lots over the last two seasons," he said.
"There's a big hole to fill, and I hope I can help plug it in
terms of goals. I can't do it on my own - but I will help out.
"When you sign for United you get excited about a lot of things.
One of them, I hope, is scoring a lot of goals - because I am going
to get a lot more chances here than at other teams."
Owen insists his international ambitions remain stronger than
ever as he contemplates next summer's World Cup.
"My mind's been thinking about that since I was three years old
in the back garden, and nothing has changed," he said. "Winning the
World Cup is the ultimate - it's still my dream."