The star has been injured since the Autumn, but says he is nearing a comeback. Should Manchester City be worried?
If you are looking for a secret weapon to give you a boost in a tight title race, an international striker with 40 goals to his name is not a bad option.
Except that figure doesn’t tell the true story of today’s Michael Owen.
Undoubtedly he still has his finishing ability, but gone is the pace which helped him become one of the world’s most feared marksman over a decade ago.
His career at Manchester United since joining in 2009 has been a stop-start affair, hampered by injury added to the fact that last season he was fourth choice striker.
This year he is United’s fifth choice forward, with Danny Welbeck joining Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez in front of him.
He was given some hope last year by being selected on the substitutes bench for the Champions League Final, ahead of top scorer Berbatov, with Ferguson saying if he needed a man to nick the side a late goal, Owen’s predatory instincts could be more valuable.
It is those instincts, and that faith from his manager, that could help Owen play an important role this season.
There are 12 games left in the Premier League with all to play for, not to mention the Europa League, and balancing the two will mean careful rotation and rest among the strikers.
Throwing Owen on for the last 15 minutes of games when they are tied level for a midfield player is a gamble Ferguson will take.
With a player like Owen all it takes is once chance and he can prove his worth.
Right now United fans wouldn’t be too worried if he is no longer on the club’s books next season.
He has contributed little, and is likely on high wages considering he was signed on a free, and it would surely be better to give a young striker a chance, whether that be one in United’s youth system such as Will Keane, or making another signing.
If Owen and Berbatov both leave, it is pretty certain United will be in the market for another striker in the summer.
But there is plenty of football to be played before then, and Owen can contribute if he can get fit and stay fit.
As we all know by now, that is a big if.
His United career has been largely disappointing, save for a memorable winner against City when he first joined.
If he scores a crucial goal which wins United the title, all the injury hassle will have been worth it.
Can Michael Owen play a role still this season? And should United let him leave in the summer?
image: © michael,kjaer
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