Source: Daily_Mail
From Kop Kid to a Red Devil: Michael Owen returns to Liverpool with arch-rivals Manchester United
On the eve of Michael Owen's controversial return to Anfield, Sportsmail finds out from his former team-mates, coaches and fans what sort of reaction the Manchester United striker can expect after switching sides...[LNB] Perfect 10: Michael Owen as Liverpool fans would like to remember him (above) and in action for new club Manchester United, the Reds' main rivals (below)[LNB]JAMIE REDKNAPP[LNB]Former Liverpool captain and team-mate[LNB]Michael Owen will be training this morning. The team will probably be announced after the session and he will be desperately hoping his name is read out by Sir Alex Ferguson or he will be in the worst position tomorrow - on the bench as a sitting target, listening to those Liverpool supporters who cannot forgive him for playing for Manchester United. [LNB]It didn't surprise me that he signed for United. Michael is a driven and ambitious footballer and this was the best move available to him. Until Sir Alex came in, he had been linked with Stoke and Hull. What would you do?[LNB] So far, it has been a slow start for him, apart from scoring the winning goal against Manchester City. That was typical Michael; finding the space, vacating the central area and the traffic building up there, moving intelligently on to a Ryan Giggs pass and finishing. The man has ice in his veins.[LNB] He's a different player now. His body shape has changed, his injuries have cost him so much of his career. His pace was his great weapon, but he may not have sprinted at full speed since he was 21, because of the fears about his hamstrings. He doesn't trust his body. [LNB]You hear the buzz about a young player a long time before he walks into the dressing room. Michael Owen was the talk of Liverpool among the coaches and the players. He'd scored in a televised game for England's schoolboys. We knew what was coming. What we didn't appreciate is how good he was going to be.[LNB] Young players need to be developed; they may have the skill and the eye for goal against players of their own age, but they need to learn the game when they come into the big league. [LNB]Not Michael. He knew where to run, how to use his pace. He was intelligent and, of course, he could score goals. His runs and his pace made him a dream to play with for any midfielder. [LNB]He made me feel like the quarterback. I'd hit a long pass and some of them were hopelessy overhit, but he would be on to it like a flash. Media reports would say 'a terrific pass from Redknapp', but really it was Michael's run and his pace which made it appear that way. He was like a greyhound. [LNB] Predator: A teenage Owen scoring against Brazil for England schoolboys[LNB]GERARD HOULLIER[LNB] Liverpool's treble-winning manager [LNB]I always remember Michael at the party we threw at the club after winning the three trophies in 2001. Michael was having his photograph taken with the cups and I asked him which one was his favourite. [LNB]'The FA Cup,' he said. 'Why?' I asked him. 'Because every kid in this country dreams of winning the FA Cup. It's special.' [LNB]And then he said it was easy to work out which one I liked the most. 'Go on then, tell me,' I said. 'The UEFA Cup,' he said. 'How do you know that?' I asked. 'Because before every European game we could see it in your eyes, in the way that desire surged through your veins. We knew it was the one you really, really wanted.' [LNB]That same desire surged through Michael's veins in every game. In every training session, too. I know Fergie loves him because the boy is just a joy to work with. Never any trouble, always 100 per cent. [LNB] Ballon D'Or: Owen with his European Footballer of the Year award in 2001[LNB]He never wanted to be rested. He never liked it when I rotated him with Robbie Fowler or the other strikers we had at the club at the time. 'I'll rest when I've retired,' he used to say to me. [LNB]He has two great qualities. Great enthusiasm for the game and great confidence in himself. The kind of confidence that, I believe, will enable him to get back to his very best now he is at Manchester United. [LNB]He might have had his injury problems but his game has developed and he remains a top, top player. This is someone who always delivers in the big games. He is very clever when it comes to moving between the lines, dropping off into midfield and moving into the space between defenders. [LNB]He can work brilliantly off a centre forward, the way I often had him playing with Emile Heskey. It was a tremendous privilege to work with him for six years. [LNB]When Fergie signed Michael in the summer, I thought it was a very astute piece of business. Here, after all, was a player of the highest quality available for nothing. Michael will do well for United. Of that I am absolutely certain. [LNB]Pint-sized: Owen (left) captaining his school team[LNB]GRAHAM AGG [LNB]Secretary of German Reds, international branch of Liverpool Supporters Club [LNB]By joining United, Owen has crossed a line no player reared by Liverpool should ever go over. We could have accepted Chelsea, Arsenal or even Everton. After all, his dad played for Everton and others have gone across the park. [LNB]But not United, not when you consider how bitter the rivalry has become in recent years. Can you imagine Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher doing that? [LNB]He has fanned the flames, as well, with comments about playing for the biggest club and greatest fans in the world. It shows a shocking lack of respect for Liverpool supporters and he can be sure of a red-hot reception. [LNB]It was a bit mixed when he returned to Anfield with Newcastle, but it won't be this time. He has gone too far and those who stuck up for him last time will be lining up with the rest on this occasion and giving him both barrels. [LNB]You would have hoped he might have learned a bit from the way Robbie Keane refused to celebrate when he scored in Tottenham's 3-1 defeat at Anfield last season. That showed Robbie at least has a bit of dignity about him, but Owen clearly hasn't. [LNB]He was never as popular as Robbie Fowler, mainly because he always seemed more interested in England than Liverpool. It would always be an England game he was targeting when he was recovering from one of his injuries - and it was the same when he was at Newcastle. [LNB]In fact, even Newcastle fans got frustrated with him and ended up calling him Emo, England's Michael Owen.[LNB]PETER LEDSMAN [LNB]Manchester United fan and Owen's former PE teacher at Hawarden High School [LNB] Influence: Peter Ledsman, Owen's former PE teacher, told him to join United[LNB]He's finally listened to me. I told him he should join United when he was at school! [LNB]There were a lot of clubs looking at him at that age, even though he was already training with Liverpool. He went to United for two weeks and I asked him to keep them in mind. When he eventually got there, I was delighted.[LNB] I'm sure that if he plays, he'll score. He's been doing it all his life. He was doing it when he came to us at the High School at the age of 11 and he'd been doing it before that. [LNB]I could see the first time I saw him that he was going to be special. He showed the potential and he was scoring goals for fun, a lot of them terrific goals. He was prolific in the box. He had that predator's instinct. [LNB]I'd like to think the Liverpool fans will give him a good reception. They've done it in the past for their heroes who've gone back. [LNB]Standing guard: Owen on a visit to London in 1989[LNB]PETER ROBINSON [LNB]Chief executive at Anfield when Owen joined Liverpool [LNB]He was so outstanding that in his very early days I told him he should get an agent to look after his commercial interests. I recommended Tony Stephens and the relationship proved very successful. [LNB]Steve Heighway, who was in charge of what was the School of Excellence at the time, was so convinced about him that he came to see me personally about signing him. Normally, he would just send a memo. [LNB]Later, he did the same with Steven Gerrard and, indirectly, the promise of that pair, along with Jamie Carragher, Stephen Warnock and players like David Thompson, who had a lot of ability but later was affected by injuries, led to me recommending that we bought land at Kirkby, where we built our academy. [LNB]I would hope the fans won't have a go at him when he returns, even though he's now with our big rivals. Normally, the Liverpool supporters are remarkable in the way they welcome players back. [LNB]I hope he gets a similar reception to the one Kevin Keegan got when he came back with Hamburg.[LNB] [LNB]ROY EVANS [LNB]Manager who gave Owen his first-team break on May 6, 1997 [LNB]He came through the system and from the start he always looked as if he would be a top player. He's carried that on through every level. It was the whole package with Michael. It was more difficult to keep him out than put him in because of his ability. [LNB]He was only 17 when he got in the side (he came on as a substitute and scored a consolation goal as Liverpool lost 2-1 to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park) and maybe he could have got in a bit earlier, but you are always a bit worried about size in a player so young. But there were no problems once he got in there. He's been a great player.[LNB] Obviously, he's with the opposition now, but Liverpool supporters should never forget what he did for us. At times he was fantastic. [LNB]Hopefully, there'll be no problems. It's always going to be a problem whoever you are playing for Manchester United at Anfield, but let's hope he is shown respect for what he did for the club. [LNB] Enlarge JOHN ALDRIDGE [LNB]Former Liverpool striker[LNB] A lot of fans wanted Michael back at the club but it was clear Rafa didn't. He obviously feels that Michael wouldn't fit into the style he wants to play. Michael will probably be mindful of that and may want to prove a point. [LNB]The fans will certainly be wary of what he can do, as will the players. Liverpool need to make sure he doesn't come back to haunt them. [LNB]He was always popular with the fans, maybe not so much as some of us who came from the city, but he still had a rapport. [LNB]The trouble is now not everyone will reason with the move he has made. I'm not sure going to Manchester United is something I could have done, but Michael is a lot more businesslike in his decisions. [LNB]You don't know what other offers he had. It's not as if he has moved from Liverpool directly to United - that wouldn't happen, there have been clubs in between - but all the same he'll get a hot reception.[LNB] We saw what the United fans gave Paul Ince a few years back when he returned and I think Michael will get the same from the Anfield crowd on Sunday afternoon.[LNB] LIVERPOOL v Manchester United: Fernando Torres, Glen Johnson and Steven Gerrard race to make Anfield showdownLiverpool v MANCHESTER UNITED: Wayne Rooney a worry as Red Devils head to AnfieldMANCHESTER UNITED FC
