The season starts here for Michael Owen
Owen scores the winner in the 2009 derby at Old Trafford It's 37 days since the campaign kicked off but finally Michael Owen is ready to ditch the spectator role and start his season at Elland Road tonight.
As the Champions League and Carling Cup infiltrate the calendar, the 31-year-old and other United squad members, whove been left kicking their heels while the Reds have stormed into the Premier League season with a 100 per cent five-match record, are ready for action.
Sir Alex Ferguson is set to start against Leeds across the Pennines with Owen and Dimitar Berbatov up front.
It will be Owens first taste of action all term after an early season back problem set him back.
This is what a lot of players have been waiting for in many ways, Michael told M.E.N. Sport.
Since the start of the season it has mainly been a game every weekend and nothing in the middle really. The manager picked the same team in the first four matches, so there are a lot of people needing games.
Now we get to the stage of the season with the Champions League, the league and the Carling Cup. It is becoming two games most weeks so the squad will get chances.
You always want to be given a chance but commonsense says that you just have to look at the fixture list and realise the season actually starts for me now.
I have been on the bench but we have a strong squad and top strikers so it is difficult to get a look in when there is only one game a week. So, from my point of view, the season begins here.
Experience tells you this is how it will pan out, so you do buy into the policy.
We have such a variant age group of players up front and all play different type of games. With the emergence this year of Danny Welbeck it adds even more to the mi! x. All o f a sudden, there are three or four international strikers who are not getting stripped every week. The competition is hotting up.
There is always competition, it just depends whether it is real quality competition. The strikers we have, you have to say are quality. Berba had an unbelievable season last year and has hardly played this year. He is similar to me, he has hardly had a kick.
Berba is still the same player he was last year and so am I, it is just that competition is really fierce.
But you have to tip your hat off to those who are playing. I take great heart from the fact that if you are behind great players like Wayne Rooney then it is no slant on you.
I have been a striker for many years at big clubs. I have been among the Ronaldos, the Rauls and the Zidanes and others at Madrid. Robbie Fowler at Liverpool. I have been the number one choice and had people chomping at my heels. It is roles reversed now but I can think of a lot worse places to be and doing what I am doing.
At the end of last season, Owen was unsure whether he might have to face up to considering some of those worse places to continue his career as his two-year Old Trafford contract ran out.
The first year was fantastic in terms of the amount I played and the highs, like the games I played in Europe, scoring in the Carling Cup final at Wembley, the hat trick in Wolfsburg, the winner against Man City, obviously. There were a load of highs.
Last year, I didnt feature as much but still had some great times. But overall, last season was disappointing from an appearances point of view.
The manager called me in and I had a totally open mind about what might happen. I must admit as the season drew to an end I was thinking about the future and wondering if hed want to keep me any longer.
I was 50-50 about what he would say when he called me in.
If it had gone the other way I wouldnt have been upset. Id have understood. I console! d myself thinking I might get more regular games somewhere else.
I had almost prepared myself for whichever way it went. But secretly when he said he wanted me to stay, my fist was clenched under the table and I was punching the air with delight. The manager said he thought I would get a lot more opportunities this year, so I was more than happy to extend my stay.
For him to say he wanted to keep me was enough for me.
I have loved every minute here. It remains to be seen what type of role I have throughout the season but the season is still young.
I have a head on my shoulders and I understand you cannot be given guarantees in football.
But when I do train it is with the best players. When I play it is in front of fantastic fans in a great stadium and the quality is high. There are so many positives. Who knows what the future holds? I hope I can be involved but I am not stupid, there are a lot of top players here and if my chances are limited I will still have a smile on my face and still feel part of a fantastic club.
Owen has scored nine goals from 15 starts for the Reds since joining as a free agent in 2009 when his Newcastle deal ended.
Add to that a further five goals when coming off the subs bench and his stats stand up to scrutiny.
And it is that kind of strike-rate from limited opportunities that hell look to improve even more tonight against Leeds.
I know that when I have been called upon I have done the business and I am proud of that, Michael added.
The pressure is on in many ways in games like tonight because you are expected to do well because this is your chance and if you dont do well you think thats that for another few weeks.
Last season was similar. You travel to Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup and Southampton in the FA Cup and maybe they are not the biggest games you have ever played in your life but you are building the game up so much. You build it up because you know i! f you do nt do well and put in a performance you could be kicking your heels for a while and it will be stewing in your mind for a few weeks.
Thankfully, last year, when I played, I did well so, hopefully, this season is the same. We all know it is a big game against Leeds. There is a rivalry and the fans are keen to do well.
I came off the bench in the FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in 2010 when Leeds won 1-0 to try and nick an equaliser. It didnt work out but, hopefully, it will be different this time.
What do you think? Have your say.
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As the Champions League and Carling Cup infiltrate the calendar, the 31-year-old and other United squad members, whove been left kicking their heels while the Reds have stormed into the Premier League season with a 100 per cent five-match record, are ready for action.
Sir Alex Ferguson is set to start against Leeds across the Pennines with Owen and Dimitar Berbatov up front.
It will be Owens first taste of action all term after an early season back problem set him back.
This is what a lot of players have been waiting for in many ways, Michael told M.E.N. Sport.
Since the start of the season it has mainly been a game every weekend and nothing in the middle really. The manager picked the same team in the first four matches, so there are a lot of people needing games.
Now we get to the stage of the season with the Champions League, the league and the Carling Cup. It is becoming two games most weeks so the squad will get chances.
You always want to be given a chance but commonsense says that you just have to look at the fixture list and realise the season actually starts for me now.
I have been on the bench but we have a strong squad and top strikers so it is difficult to get a look in when there is only one game a week. So, from my point of view, the season begins here.
Experience tells you this is how it will pan out, so you do buy into the policy.
We have such a variant age group of players up front and all play different type of games. With the emergence this year of Danny Welbeck it adds even more to the mi! x. All o f a sudden, there are three or four international strikers who are not getting stripped every week. The competition is hotting up.
There is always competition, it just depends whether it is real quality competition. The strikers we have, you have to say are quality. Berba had an unbelievable season last year and has hardly played this year. He is similar to me, he has hardly had a kick.
Berba is still the same player he was last year and so am I, it is just that competition is really fierce.
But you have to tip your hat off to those who are playing. I take great heart from the fact that if you are behind great players like Wayne Rooney then it is no slant on you.
I have been a striker for many years at big clubs. I have been among the Ronaldos, the Rauls and the Zidanes and others at Madrid. Robbie Fowler at Liverpool. I have been the number one choice and had people chomping at my heels. It is roles reversed now but I can think of a lot worse places to be and doing what I am doing.
At the end of last season, Owen was unsure whether he might have to face up to considering some of those worse places to continue his career as his two-year Old Trafford contract ran out.
The first year was fantastic in terms of the amount I played and the highs, like the games I played in Europe, scoring in the Carling Cup final at Wembley, the hat trick in Wolfsburg, the winner against Man City, obviously. There were a load of highs.
Last year, I didnt feature as much but still had some great times. But overall, last season was disappointing from an appearances point of view.
The manager called me in and I had a totally open mind about what might happen. I must admit as the season drew to an end I was thinking about the future and wondering if hed want to keep me any longer.
I was 50-50 about what he would say when he called me in.
If it had gone the other way I wouldnt have been upset. Id have understood. I console! d myself thinking I might get more regular games somewhere else.
I had almost prepared myself for whichever way it went. But secretly when he said he wanted me to stay, my fist was clenched under the table and I was punching the air with delight. The manager said he thought I would get a lot more opportunities this year, so I was more than happy to extend my stay.
For him to say he wanted to keep me was enough for me.
I have loved every minute here. It remains to be seen what type of role I have throughout the season but the season is still young.
I have a head on my shoulders and I understand you cannot be given guarantees in football.
But when I do train it is with the best players. When I play it is in front of fantastic fans in a great stadium and the quality is high. There are so many positives. Who knows what the future holds? I hope I can be involved but I am not stupid, there are a lot of top players here and if my chances are limited I will still have a smile on my face and still feel part of a fantastic club.
Owen has scored nine goals from 15 starts for the Reds since joining as a free agent in 2009 when his Newcastle deal ended.
Add to that a further five goals when coming off the subs bench and his stats stand up to scrutiny.
And it is that kind of strike-rate from limited opportunities that hell look to improve even more tonight against Leeds.
I know that when I have been called upon I have done the business and I am proud of that, Michael added.
The pressure is on in many ways in games like tonight because you are expected to do well because this is your chance and if you dont do well you think thats that for another few weeks.
Last season was similar. You travel to Scunthorpe in the Carling Cup and Southampton in the FA Cup and maybe they are not the biggest games you have ever played in your life but you are building the game up so much. You build it up because you know i! f you do nt do well and put in a performance you could be kicking your heels for a while and it will be stewing in your mind for a few weeks.
Thankfully, last year, when I played, I did well so, hopefully, this season is the same. We all know it is a big game against Leeds. There is a rivalry and the fans are keen to do well.
I came off the bench in the FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in 2010 when Leeds won 1-0 to try and nick an equaliser. It didnt work out but, hopefully, it will be different this time.
What do you think? Have your say.
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