Ferguson calls for Owen Patience
Owen’s move to Manchester United hasn’t brought the striker quite as much action as he might have hoped for.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid man has started just one game and scored just one goal for the reigning Premier League champions and it would appear that the United boss, for the moment at least, sees Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov as his strongest pairing up front.
However, the United boss explained as soon as he was happy with the way Rooney and Berbatov were playing together Owen would get his chance to shine.
Ferguson said: “Michael hasn’t been involved, and I’ve explained that to him,
“The season hasn’t really started - and because of the internationals we haven’t been playing Saturday and Wednesday, as we normally would.
“So Michael doesn’t really come into the equation, because we’re still trying to get the blend between Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.”
This is perhaps not the most encouraging news from Old Trafford. On a personal level I would like to see Owen get some action and force his way back into contention for the national squad but the longer he goes without regular football the less likely this is to happen. However, the United boss has also talked of the importance of having a large squad at his disposal and with the Champions League kicking off this week the games will start to come thick and fast for United and Owen may be given more time on the pitch.
A great opportunity for Owen to take part and show his worth could be when United face Premier League new boys Wolves in the Carling Cup on September 23. The competition is usually one where Ferguson experiments with youth players and fringe players so if Owen can start and score a goal or two it will go a long way to proving he is deserving of regular football in the Premier League and Champions League. To take the place of Rooney would be difficult for any striker at the moment, Rooney’s form so far this season has seen him notch up five goals already and it might be worth betting on Rooney to finish as the league’s top scorer at the end of the season.
Taking the place of Rooney or Berbatov may seem unrealistic for Owen but there is no reason why he shouldn’t see plenty of action. Ferguson has always been a fan of utilising his squad from the bench and Owen could be the man to fit into the super sub role Ole Gunnar Solskjær became famous for under Ferguson. I wouldn’t go betting on Owen becoming a regular starter at United but chances are he’ll start to see more action soon as the season progresses.
Comment on this item
You must be logged in to post a comment.
