Butt the link in Owen's United move

30 September 2009 10:08
MICHAEL Owen has revealed ex-Newcastle team-mate Nicky Butt tipped him off about Manchester United's interest in the summer. He was, Owen revealed, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson's second-choice after failing to sign France's Karim Benzema, who instead moved to Madrid from Lyon. Owen explained: "Nicky said: 'Don't tell anyone I've called you, especially not the manager, but he was asking about you, how you are training. So just to put you on your toes in case he does call." He added in the Daily Telegraph: "He (Ferguson) said: 'We are looking for a striker. Carlos (Tevez) is leaving. We went for Benzema and once that was a no-go we looked around for players who are going to score goals. Obviously the big question is if you are fit - then it's a no-brainer."' Meanwhile, Owen insists he remains as good - and fast - a player as he was when he was England's s leading striker. The 29-year-old, who moved to Manchester United in the summer, has struggled to get a look-in under current England boss Fabio Capello. But the former Newcastle player - whose career highlights in an England shirt include the game in Munich in 2001 when his hat-trick sunk Germany - still believes he is good enough to claim a place in the Italian's squad for next summer's World Cup in South Africa. "I am not slower now than I was seven, eight years ago. No chance," said Owen in The Times. "With the hamstring problems early in my career, they knocked a yard off my pace straightaway, but since then I have been the same player and if anything I have improved. "Game awareness is a good word for it. A lot of it is so instinctive it's hard to put down. It is your experience taking you into areas. You think, 'Would I have moved there as a kid, would I have anticipated that?' "People think I'm past my thirties, I'm in my forties, the way they talk about me. I'm only 29. I'm not past it. "It's not an easy squad to get into with the results the team are getting at the minute. But I'm as passionate as ever about extending my time with England." What do you think? Have your say.

Source: Manchester_EveningNews