Source: Telegraph
Michael Owen set to join Manchester United
The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was poised to make an astonishing move in the transfer marker by bringing injury-prone striker Michael Owen to Old Trafford on a free transfer. [LNB]Reliable sources have confirmed to Telegraph Sport that Owen is on the brink of joining the Premier League champions after becoming a free agent when his contract at Newcastle expired on Tuesday. [LNB] Related ArticlesRibery to reject Chelsea and United overturesBenzema joins Real MadridUnited have £80m to spend but nobody to buyValencia won't calm United fearsUnited receive £80m for RonaldoPremier League Transfer TalkDetails of the prospective deal are scarce but it is anticipated that Owen, 29, would sign a highly incentivised deal due to his worrying problems with injuries over the last four years at St James' Park where he was paid £115,000 per week. [LNB]Owen, who will be ready to accept a dramatic drop in wages, has already attracted public declarations of interest from Stoke and Hull while Tottenham and Portsmouth are also understood to be keen on securing the services of a striker who has fallen from grace during his time on Tyneside. [LNB]Despite his strong links with United's arch-rivals Liverpool, Owen would welcome a move to United because it would give him the chance to prove himself at Champions League level and also bolster his chances of regaining his place in England head coach Fabio Capello's plans for next summer's World Cup finals. [LNB]Due to his fitness problems, the recruitment of Owen would seem to represent a gamble for Ferguson but concerns over his durability will be offset by the chance to hire him on a free transfer. [LNB]Should Owen join United - where he would also get the chance to team up with England striker Wayne Rooney - he would plug one of the gaps in the United ranks cause by the departure of two of Ferguson's so-called 'Fab Four' in the shape of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. [LNB]It would allay the fears for United supporters in what is shaping up to be a worrying summer for the club who have lost out to Real Madrid in the race for Lyon striker Karem Benzema but have signed right-winger Antonio Valencia from Wigan for £16 million. [LNB]The former Manchester United and England skipper, Bryan Robson, is confident that Owen can still prosper in the upper echelons of the game despite his recent problems since his £17-million move to Newcastle from Real Madrid. [LNB]"Michael is a natural goal-scorer and natural goalscorers who can do the business at the highest level are few and far between," Robson told Telegraph Sport in a recent interview. [LNB]"I definitely think that he is capable of being a Champions League striker because he's only 29 and he has still plenty of good years left in him yet."[LNB]
