The Michael Owen Experiment

Michael Owen could be forgiven for choking on his coco pops at breakfast with Sir Alex Ferguson last week. Even a man of his enormous self-belief must have pinched himself when he learned of Man United’s intention to sign him.

If a week is a long time in politics, then a few days in football can be an eternity. On Monday the former Liverpool striker could barely attract the attention of Blackburn, but by Friday he had signed for the Premier League champions.

There was much derision last month when Owen’s management company WMG released a glossy brochure promoting his talents to would be suitors. And whilst the minds behind this outlandish piece of literature are probably patting themselves on the back, one suspects the booklet had little to do with Ferguson’s decision to sign him.

Since the story broke, the general sway of opinion points to another shrewd piece of business by wily old Sir Alex. And on the surface it does appear to be a relatively low risk punt, particularly given that Owen’s wages will barely dent the £80 million wedge recently wired from Madrid. But look a little deeper and the signing is more precarious than first appearance suggests.

Last season Man United’s attacking options equalled Barcelona as the best in Europe, with the awesome foursome of Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov. But as Owen and Antonio Valencia replace the outgoing Tevez and Ronaldo you can bet Premier League defenders are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Let’s not forget that the signing happened just days after United lost out on their number one transfer target. With Karim Benzema preferring Madrid to Manchester, Ferguson swiftly transferred his affections from the best young striker in Europe to a player who has only scored 44 club goals since 2004.

The only way this move can be considered low risk is if United continue their quest to sign another world class forward in the mould of Benzema. If not, then 12 months from now the Owen experiment will be considered nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction which contributed to them relinquishing their title.

Of course none of this is Michael Owen’s fault. And there are very few English football fans who would deny him a swansong at the top level. His 158 goals in 296 games for Liverpool is an impressive record for a player once absurdly described as ‘not a natural goalscorer’ by former England manager Glenn Hoddle.

There is no doubt that Owen knows where the goal is, but the fact remains that he has failed to deliver consistently since leaving Anfield. This says little about his ability, and everything about his injury proneness.

But if he is ‘fit' as his glossy brochure says, then Owen could well be a hit at United. With the fluid Old Trafford supply line he will find goals far easier to come by than at Newcastle. But as recent history has shown he will still need to be used sparingly and definitely not relied upon. This is exactly why Ferguson must act now.

With the latest rumours pointing at big money moves for Fabiano or Aguero, it will be fascinating to see if Man United stick or twist ahead of the big August kick off. If they don’t re-enter the transfer market they could live to regret it. The last time they replaced a current world class footballer with a former world class footballer it lost them the Premier League title.

Anyone remember Laurent Blanc?