Michael Owen has given an exclusive interview with the FA inside Wembley stadium ahead of the friendly tonight in Ireland and Charity Shield at the weekend.
How’s the training going?
I’m in full training now with the lads. It would be ironic wouldn’t it, playing your last game here then coming back from injury and playing the next game here in the Charity Shield. But that’s still a week or so away. I’m in full training now and we’ve been waiting for the lads to come back from America. We’ve got a game in the middle, away in Ireland, so hopefully I can start getting some minutes on the pitch now.
How long does it take you to get match fit?
Obviously training every day helps, it’s almost when your away from the ball and away from training you lose your hand eye, or foot eye, co-ordination, so little things take time to come. Training helps that, and in terms of fitness, you can do all the running the world, and you need to do all the running in the world, but when it comes to playing a match it feels different. You can really feel yourself breathing after five or ten minutes when you’re not fit, so hopefully I can get a few minutes in Ireland and hopefully a few minuts here [in the Charity Shield] and build towards the season. I wouldn’t be ready to go in to 90 minutes straight away but it will be a stepping stone.
How are you enjoying it at United?
I love it. It was a fantastic move, a dream move for me. I’d obviously played at Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle, so I’ve been away from home for five years with my last two clubs, so to come home, be able to live at home, and travel in to work half an hour every day to get to the training ground is fantastic for me and my family and then not to mention the sheer quality of the club. The players, the manager, everything about it, the club as a whole is just different to many other places. It’s a fantastic club and a fantastic place to be plying your trade and training with them players every day no doubt improves you.
United have brought in Hernandez. Is that a bad thing for you?
Well, of course it’s a good thing for the club. I’ve only seen bits of him in the World Cup and obviously he played his first game for United in the pre-season tour, and he looks like a good goalscorer. He’s young, it will be important he settles in to the English way of life as well as the English Premier League, so obviously the club will help him to do that. The manager tends to buy young players with a lot of potential and he tries to develop them. Obviously he’s worked his magic for many years doing that and so hopefully he [Hernandez] is another one. We have got a lot of good, young strikers now and hopefully they will compliment us.
Do you think there’s enough emphasis on youth in the Premier League at the moment?
Well, it’s hard to say. If you’re top quality, you’ll get through and get your chance. My fear is for the slow developers, or the players that are decent, solid professionals. I’m all for top foreign players coming over but it’s average players coming, taking the place of our lads, that’s where I see the problem. In fairness, that seems to be something the Authority is addressing. This coming year there’s a restriction and I hear it’s going to get more and more every season from now on, so hopefully that will improve our homegrown players, and in turn, improve the chances of our national team doing well.
How long do you think you can keep playing for?
To be honest, I don’t want to be playing until I’m forty-something, because I want to finish at the top. I don’t want to drop down levels, so I’d love to finish my career where I am. We’ll see if that happens. If I’m still feeling great and if the club didn’t want me any more and I was only 31, well there might be other good opportunities. But I certainly wouldn’t be dropping down and down to prolong my career. I’d want to quit while I was ahead. I’m 30 but because I started my career really early, everyone probably thinks I’m 35 by now, so a lot of people are surprised when I say I’m 30.
What’s it like playing for Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the all time greats?
If you look at the managers I’ve played under, there’s been quite a lot of top managers, but obviously, to have ended my career and not played under the most successful manager of our time would have left a gap, just like not winning the Premier League would leave a gap. There’s a couple of things in your career where you think “I’d love to do that” and when you’re looking from afar you’re thinking, “I wonder what his team talks are like, I wonder what it would be like to play under him, I wonder what it would be like to play in that team with Giggs and Scholes and all the players they’ve had over the years. So there’s been a lot of boxes ticked off from moving to Man United and it’s been fantastic.
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He hates Scousers.
Good thing he won’t return for the Chelsea game. 40 minutes on that pitch and we would lose him for another 5 months.
michael pls teach chicha to make him better than u i think this also a great things to proud of
He just has to win the league with us before he decides to hang up his boots. Then we have to arrange a parade in the streets of Liverpool just so he can show Stevie Me and The Ladyboy what it feels like to be a winner.
I like you Mickey, that goal against the Argies in 98 was magnificent, all-time top class but you’ll be what you were, a poor scouse….
Bristol City is apparently making a loan move for him.. ambitious..
“..not winning the Premier League would leave a gap.!”
Right Mickey, hopefully you’ll play a big part in fixing that little problem with your CV and
do it straight away! Right, on with #19!
Common U REDS!
owen starts tonight… also smalling looks like right-back
full line up…
Kuszczak; Smalling, Vidic, Evans, O’Shea; Valencia, Gibson, Carrick, Park; Rooney, Owen.
Kuszczak; Smalling, Vidic, Evans, O’Shea; Valencia, Gibson, Carrick, Park; Rooney, Owen.
is the team btw..
Hamburg 2 Chelsea 1 full time. lampard, Anelka, kalou, Essien, Cole, Terry all started for Chelsea
Thanks sprite.
Good to see the WC boys back. If Fletch and Berba are rested, this could mean that they will start on Sunday. Same goes for Scholes, Nani and Giggs.
Nice to see Owen starting. Great with a more familiar line up
so…. anyone know if Evra is around? didn’t he finish world cup before the likes of Rooney etc…
@Tony Starks
He was given an extra week off. We will probably see him on Sunday.
@aig alex
To quote Nelson Muntz: Ha-ha! *points*
Just a training match but I think they will struggle to keep up with us this year. They have so many important players that are aging (Lampard, Drogba) or just getting worse and worse (i.e. Terry).
A pity Chico isn’t starting, but not a bad team other wise.
any link to view the match online plz ?!
You know what, having watched all the pre season without some of the first team players.. and now looking at the roster.. I feel the surge of strength overflow abundantly.. hmm i dont know what im talking about..
@TheRadLegion
Haha:) I know what you’re saying
I think its a 3-5-2 formation with O Shea in midfield
I have that feeling every night.
@aig alex
Probably not knowing Alex. He loves his four at the back.
“But I certainly wouldn’t be dropping down and down to prolong my career.”
No chance of him going to Bristol City on loan then.
@sprite – read that Bristol City asked for Welbeck and they were told Owen is available.
@TheRadLegion … I know what you mean… I think!
@Colbert
maybe time to try something new. We will see. Havent heard of Smalling or Evans playing at right back
Evans has played R-B before… but I’d like to see Smalling there, he looks too dodgy at centre
arijc
I dont believe it (the rumour that SAF said he was available)..We would have sold him if that was the case..
Mrad
I think this page will give you very good quality (Simpson is showing atm. but I think the game will be on later):
http://veetle.com/index.php/channel/view#4c574ecd11088
if it doesnt work try
http://www.iraqgoals.tv/ch3.html
@aig alex
I think Evans has played at right back a couple of times. Fergie often shuffles round players so most of the players at United has played in 2-3 positions. Hopefully Smalling will get to play alongside Vidic tonight, because he needs the kind of experience Vidic has to develop his game.
Priced out of this match. Cheapest tickets 50 brick for a friendly. Disgrace.
@Colber
ok. thanks.Lets see. Agree Smalling needs to play with Vida
anyone have a link for the match?
I heard 60 euros, a bit steep.
Do not let the scousers see this
I tell you RAWK would go crazy!
They’d burn effergy’s of Owen at the Kop
They’d say “death to Ferguson”
A low level diplomatic United entourage would protest accordingly
Sir Alex would have to review his relationship with Hogdson!
(Nothing new there then – as long as Hodgson of course doesn’t start stating facts any time soon!)
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/0804/airtricity_manutd.html?
for anyone that wants to follow via text.
Prices ranged from 50 to 85 or somethin. Robbery. That strip looks alright.
Here we go people
Working at the mo
http://www.justin.tv/vip__football#/w/294254320
Rooney and Owen upfront….Valencia, Vidic, Park starts as well alongside Gibson, Smalling…PIG too.
Away strip looks awful,what are we British Ariways United?
The design of our new shirts are bordering on retro. And not in a good way.
anyone else think the new socks look horrid?
Gibbo has done very well..
that was a period of nice football by United, ending with a Rooney shot just wide…
… not bad commentry there if I do say so!
hard work pays off, well done parky.
Typical – get distracted and United score
That would do me fine every match : )
Thank-you very much!
… and this Ireland team look way out of their depth here
love the way paddy crerand commentates as if he’s talking to the players… ‘too crowded in there wayne…’
@Tony Starks
Yeah, me too. Usually I hate that but when Crerand does that it’s awesome. Probably because he’s so genuine.
What a goal : )
Saw that one!
That’s how you do it, Wayne!:p Fantastic goal by Owen. He’s still an excellent finisher.
Lovely from Owen. Get Hernandez on, he’ll have a field day against this lot.
This team is much worse than the MLS All Stars.
hehe… great finish from Owen… then Rooney tries it… they could score as many as they wanted in this game…
oh no no no yet another midfield injury – carrick goes off, looked a bit devastated did carrick
Didn’t catch it because the stream was fucking up – what kind on injury did Carrick have?
Loving Smalling taking the ball out of defence. Very Lucio/Pique-ish
http://atdhe.net/21955/watch-ireland-vs-manchester-united
anyone else read about the rumours of Balotelli demanding 180k a week?
i think city offered him 60k and he countered with 180.
i guess he really does fancy himself that much.
@debaser – also wants image rights on top of the 180K….what image would that be?? he is 18 and has a terrible attitude.
45 minutes and the away kit still does not look good.
Who’s the prick on RTE who calls us “Man U”? Why would an Irishman do that?
Lovely goal from Owen… funny goal from Park
I’m from Ireland btw, the Irish top league is terrible and on top of it it is weighed down by serious financial problems. This game is being played because they wanted a big team to play the first football game in the AVIVA stadium. If you look around the stadium, its a sea of United supporters. There are as many was 850,000 United fans in Ireland (a lot of that is to do with Keano) even though the population is about 4.5 million in the republic… that’s quite a lot. Unlike MLS, Chivas, Philly Union or Kansas Wizards, the Airtricity team didn’t pick a game with United, they just stepped in because “somebody” has to play against United and Shamrock Rovers who would be the most likely choice have to play Juventus in Europa League qualifier.
So ye, lay off em
JS Park’s hair would make Morrissey proud!!
The game is on RTE for anyone in NI or ROI.
@debaser, he probably doesnt want to go to city
people – there is a live blog up, check it out
Is it just me but are all the streams just stop start?
Ah well Emily is going be very happy
: )