Source: Eurosport
Owen - Injuries not a concern
New Manchester United striker Michael Owen insists he is fighting fit and his injury-plagued past should not be a concern. [LNB] The 29-year-old on Friday night signed a two-year deal with the Barclays Premier League champions after swift negotiations which lasted less than 48 hours. A chequered history with injuries - hamstring problems at Liverpool, knee ligament issues at Newcastle - was thought to have deterred most of England's top clubs from considering signing the out-of-contract striker but United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had no hesitation.[LNB] "A lot is made out of it but I certainly don't feel like I'm injury prone," said Owen.[LNB] The England international believes his new boss was right not to be frightened off by reams of medical notes detailing exactly why he had spent much of his four-year spell on Tyneside on the sidelines. [LNB] The former Real Madrid forward is believed to have undergone an assessment on his troublesome knee in London on Thursday before travelling to Manchester on Friday for a more general physical check-up. [LNB] "I'd like to think that everyone was quite surprised with my medical," said Owen. "I passed my medical and I've obviously passed them before, and my fitness is high."[LNB] His manager will hope not as, if he can stay fit, Owen could still have plenty of goals left in him. [LNB] "Michael is a world class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question," said Ferguson, who is a long-time admirer of a player who scored 158 goals in 297 matches for Liverpool and struck 40 times in 89 England internationals. [LNB] "Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish." [LNB] Owen will see his move to Old Trafford as a double challenge: first he has to show he can still score goals at the highest level and, second, he wants to use his higher profile to regain his England place with a World Cup looming next summer.
