The England striker was so desperate to return to the club where
he emerged as a world-class goalscorer that he would have accepted
a basic salary of just £25,000-a-week plus goal and appearance
bonuses.
But Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez's doubts over Owen's form,
fitness and desire to put his club before his England ambitions
ensured he rejected repeated attempts to persuade him to re-sign
the player he sold five years ago.
Benitez also recalled how Owen upset the Anfield faithful twice
when he left in 2004 and then failed to return in 2005. The Kop
boss had no intention of risking being jilted a third time by
trying to hijack the United swoop.
Owen had earlier delayed a decision on his future in the forlorn
hope his old club would make a move. As the doctors awaited Owen's
arrival at Carrington, phone calls were being made in a bid to
ignite Liverpool's interest.
Co-owner George Gillett was particularly keen to sign the
29-year-old, having first met Owen in the Colorado clinic where he
underwent knee surgery after the 2006 World Cup. But by Thursday,
Sir Alex Ferguson's powers of persuasion had killed Owen's
lingering Kop loyalties. Ferguson convinced him to turn his back on
both the Merseyside clubs, after Everton had put together a
£2.4million-a-year package.
Owen met Goodison boss David Moyes in Miami and was impressed
with the Scot's plans for next season. Moyes was prepared to
restructure his side to accommodate Owen and was in prime position
to sign him.
Chairman Bill Kenwright was also keen on a deal, feeling it
would lay down a marker of his club's ambitions. But Owen was wary
of crossing the Stanley Park divide, unwavering in his belief that
he belongs on a Champions League stage and can force his way back
into Fabio Capello's World Cup plans.
Ferguson moved swiftly with a call to Owen on Wednesday morning
and, by Thursday night, a £50,000-a-week contract. Owen could
double that figure, though, with goals and appearances to take him
close to the £125,000 he was earning at Newcastle.
Ferguson's United will relish the fact Liverpool fans will be
cursing more than ever if Owen denies them future titles, because
the Kop refused first option of taking the striker back.
Yet it will take only a tweak of Owen's hamstring - or the
unveiling of an alternative top-class back-up for Fernando Torres -
to justify Benitez's stance. Owen's recent injury record meant Rafa
was cautious about taking a sentimental journey. He is also
concerned about what level of transfer resources he has at his
disposal, even for bargain deals. That is unlike Fergie, who knows
he can afford to make a mistake.
The Spanish boss will be relieved that a saga which began weeks
after his arrival from Valencia has come to an emphatic end.
Repeated efforts by Owen's admirers to secure his return to
Liverpool were visibly irritating Benitez, always unconvinced of
the merits. He insisted he wanted to look to the future, not
Liverpool's past.
He was upset at the timing of the striker's departure for Real
Madrid in 2004, a month after Rafa became Liverpool boss, but felt
more annoyed when Owen did not hold out for an Anfield move a year
down the line - despite face-to-face talks and a pledge to take him
six months later.
At that time, Benitez felt Owen had shown he was more concerned
about being prepared for the 2006 World Cup than playing for
Liverpool. Since then, Benitez has regularly made public his
resistance to signing him.
The United transfer effectively ends four years of Owen
regularly pleading to return to Anfield. There were approaches by
his representatives to secure a Liverpool move every season he
spent on Tyneside.
Now Owen has crossed a line no Liverpool fan will accept. The
former Kop idol can expect a torrid reception after becoming the
first player to join both clubs since Paul Ince.
Ironically, the summer began with Liverpool pursuing a United
favourite, Carlos Tevez. If Liverpool's forlorn pursuit of the
South American temporarily crept under the skin of the Stretford
End, it pales into insignificance to the back spasms felt on The
Kop at the sight of Owen now at Old Trafford.
The failure even to acknowledge his Anfield past when unveiled
on Friday, or appreciate the despair felt on Merseyside at the
sight of him in a United shirt, hurt Liverpool fans even
more.
Ferguson has never made football decisions for anything other
than football reasons. But he will be cunningly aware of the wider
repercussions. There is an unavoidable sense the North West
superpowers are making transfer decisions they hope will come back
to haunt each other.
And while many claim Fergie has taken a gamble on Owen, it may
also be argued Rafa has taken a punt in ignoring him.
