Fergie sets Owen target

26 July 2009 08:02
Sir Alex Ferguson has set Michael Owen a 15-goal target for his debut season at Manchester United. Owen was a surprise capture for a club reeling at the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez from their title-winning squad. "If he plays 25 games for me this season I think we'll get 15 goals," said the Red Devils chief. "Michael has scored two already and I hope there are plenty more to come. "If you look at his record over the years, even the last two years at Newcastle when they were going through a difficult time, he scored one in every two games. "He is easily capable of reaching that level again." Ferguson was speaking ahead of Sunday's encounter with Hangzhou Greentown at the Dragon Stadium, which will conclude another successful trip to Asia that once again highlights how popular United are in this part of the world. The reaction in South Korea to Park Ji-sung's arrival was astounding, while United arrived in China to instantly find their team hotel mobbed by supporters on Saturday, with high pitched screaming coming every time one of the players ventured into public view. Little wonder Ferguson is not ruling out the possibility of signing another Chinese player, despite the purchase of Dong Fangzhou now being regarded as a failure. "United are always searching for talent throughout the world," said Ferguson. "If we see potential we will bring them to United. Our search always goes on."

Source: Eurosport