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Michael Owen will join Manchester United today as long
as he passes a stringent medical – and accepts a massive cut in his
basic salary by signing what amounts to a pay-per-play
deal.
FourFourTwo understands that the striker, a free agent
since his Newcastle contract lapsed on Tuesday, will be offered a
contract which handsomely rewards him for appearances and goals on
top of a drastically reduced basic wage.
Owen was paid £120,000 a week at St James' Park but his injury
problems mean he will get nowhere near that from his next club –
whoever it may be. Aston Villa, Stoke, Hull and Everton have been
linked with moves, with the Toffees said to be willing to pay
£50,000 a week.
However, despite Owen's boyhood allegiance to Everton, David Moyes
will accept that the striker is far more likely to sign for Sir
Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager is a longterm admirer,
having tried to sign him as a boy, and is willing to take a
relatively low-risk gamble on reuniting Owen with former England
partner Wayne Rooney.
For his part, Owen has hardly been presented with a plethora of
top-class clubs interested in his services; two days ago, Blackburn
manager Sam Allardyce ruled out any possible move, citing worry
over Owen's recurrent injuries.
Given his lack of options, and the glorious possibilities offered
by joining a United team stripped of both Cristiano Ronaldo and
Carlos Tevez, Owen should willingly submit to a radical new pay
structure – especially if it keeps him in Fabio Capello's thoughts
during the run-up to World Cup 2010.
And if Owen can rediscover the goalscoring form that so
delighted fans of Liverpool and Real Madrid, then the deal could
work out very well for player, club and country.
