“I’m human. I’d prefer people to sit down and recognise what you did for them and for the team in years gone past but I’m pretty realistic as well and now that I’m playing for their arch rivals… I’m not holding my breath, put it that way.” Explained the former Real Madrid and Newcastle striker.

Owen started his career at Anfield and made his debut as a 17-year-old after learning his trade in the club’s academy. In 216 league appearances he scored an impressive 118 goals, more than a goal every other game, and was a firm fans favourite.  The Liverpool faithful would have forgiven Owen anything – except a move to Manchester United.

To add some extra spice to an encounter that is already one of the most hotly contested in world football - Liverpool need to win.  Make no mistake, should United take all three points back to Old Trafford with them Liverpool’s title dreams will be all but over.  For a club like Liverpool to be out of the running as early as 10 games into the season is virtually unthinkable, hence their need for the three points.

Will Owen start against his former employers?  There is a distinct possibility he may do if Wayne Rooney is not passed fit after his calf strain.  United boss Sir Alex Ferguson may instead chose to use him as an impact substitute, we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m sure he’ll be given a run out by the Scottish tactician.  Owen is after all a former Liverpool legend and players often have a habit of scoring against their former clubs.  Owen is also a player who is capable of popping up with a goal at a big moment and in big matches.

His goal scoring history is peppered with goals in huge games. From his legendary goal against Argentina in the World Cup, a strike in Spanish mega-fixture ‘El Classico’ and right up to his last-gasp winner in the Manchester derby he has consistently found the net on the massive occasions. I think it is safe to say Owen will see some time on the pitch on Sunday, providing he isn’t injured on midweek Champions league duty, and perhaps he might even be worth a cheeky online football bet to bag a goal.

The man himself doesn’t seem to have a problem with a lack of action at Old Trafford, indeed he is featuring in most of their games. “I think if I was 19 or 20, playing really well and scoring loads of goals and being constantly on the bench, then I’d definitely have a different outlook than now, when I’ve played a long time,” He added.

“I’ve not been left out of the squad since I’ve been there and it’s great. I feel part of the team, part of the squad.

“The manager’s said to me that I’ll play my fair share of games. In any case,’ he points out, ‘if you’d said to me in the summer, ‘You’re going to go to Manchester United and be the fourth-choice striker and start ten games and come off the bench ten times, and that’s your lot’, then I would have snapped your hand off.”

Owen is ranked fourth in England’s all time top goalscorers and is still eager of World Cup 2010 action.  If we’re being honest the situation doesn’t look too great right now. With just friendly ties in front of us before the tournament in South Africa his chances of a recall remain limited but regular action for United and a goal against Liverpool could only help matters.

United started the day as heavy football betting favourites and immediately showed their intent by grabbing an early lead inside the second minute. Rooney shrugged off two City defenders and slotted the ball expertly past Shay Given to get the game off to an intense start. City responded quickly and were level within 20 minutes as Carlos Tevez was allowed to nick the ball off Ben Foster, the former United man found Gareth Barry who coolly drilled the ball into a gaping goal from the edge of the penalty area.

The home side again took the lead through Darren Fletcher just after the break. The Scotsman met Ryan Giggs’ cross and managed to steer the ball into the goal with his headed effort. City’s Craig Bellamy hauled the visitors level again just three minutes later. He was allowed to turn and run at the United goal, he cut inside and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner to again draw the two sides level.

With less than 10 minutes remaining United looked to have sealed the win when Fletcher again scored from a Ryan Giggs cross. In very uncharacteristic fashion Rio Ferdinand gifted City a lifeline, his errant pass got no further than Bellamy who outpaced the England international before selling Foster a dummy and slotting the ball into the United goal as normal time came to an end.

However, United, and Owen, were not to be denied. Four minutes of added time had been signalled at the end of normal time but in the 96^th minute Owen placed the ball past Shay Given with a classy finish. Giggs, who had been outstanding throughout, found Owen with a clever through ball that left Owen with just the City keeper to beat. You would bet on Owen to score every time he gets in a one on one situation and this time was no different. He took one touch to control the ball before poking the ball into the goal with the outside of his right boot to secure victory for United. It was vintage Michael Owen and the type of finish that will surely make the England camp sit up and take note.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid man has started just one game and scored just one goal for the reigning Premier League champions and it would appear that the United boss, for the moment at least, sees Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov as his strongest pairing up front.

However, the United boss explained as soon as he was happy with the way Rooney and Berbatov were playing together Owen would get his chance to shine.

Ferguson said: “Michael hasn’t been involved, and I’ve explained that to him,

“The season hasn’t really started - and because of the internationals we haven’t been playing Saturday and Wednesday, as we normally would.

“So Michael doesn’t really come into the equation, because we’re still trying to get the blend between Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.”

This is perhaps not the most encouraging news from Old Trafford. On a personal level I would like to see Owen get some action and force his way back into contention for the national squad but the longer he goes without regular football the less likely this is to happen. However, the United boss has also talked of the importance of having a large squad at his disposal and with the Champions League kicking off this week the games will start to come thick and fast for United and Owen may be given more time on the pitch.

A great opportunity for Owen to take part and show his worth could be when United face Premier League new boys Wolves in the Carling Cup on September 23. The competition is usually one where Ferguson experiments with youth players and fringe players so if Owen can start and score a goal or two it will go a long way to proving he is deserving of regular football in the Premier League and Champions League. To take the place of Rooney would be difficult for any striker at the moment, Rooney’s form so far this season has seen him notch up five goals already and it might be worth betting on Rooney to finish as the league’s top scorer at the end of the season.

Taking the place of Rooney or Berbatov may seem unrealistic for Owen but there is no reason why he shouldn’t see plenty of action. Ferguson has always been a fan of utilising his squad from the bench and Owen could be the man to fit into the super sub role Ole Gunnar Solskjær became famous for under Ferguson. I wouldn’t go betting on Owen becoming a regular starter at United but chances are he’ll start to see more action soon as the season progresses.

After netting against Wigan it looked as if the tricky striker could be about to break back into the Italian managers plans. He had a terrific pre-season and after getting the vote of confidence from Sir Alex Ferguson by signing him in the first place it seemed like a decent bet that the former Real Madrid and Liverpool man would force his way back into the international set up.

This latest snub, if it does indeed happen, makes me question whether Owen has any chance at all of breaking into Capello’s team, regardless of how he plays. It appears that the England boss perhaps doesn’t even rate him that highly. Remember his remarks about Owen earlier in the year? As England were hit by a striker crisis ahead of the match with the Ukraine when asked about Owen Cappello stated: “I have to choose the players to play against Ukraine, not against history.”

Far be it from me to question a man like Capello who is clearly a very experienced coach but Owen has scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England and always ups his game whenever called upon by the national side. I genuinely can’t believe that Capello will continue to ignore Owen if he continues to score on a regular basis for United.

The other strikers in ahead of Owen are by no means untouchable in terms of their position in the squad. Wayne Rooney appears to be an automatic choice and rightly so. In some ways this could be a benefit to Owen who will play alongside Rooney in the United attack and if he can prove they are an effective partnership together I see no reason why Capello would ignore this.

If you’re taking a 23 man squad generally five strikers will join the party and one place is taken by Rooney. The four other places will be contested by the likes of Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch, with Darren Bent perhaps also in with a shout. For me Heskey has never really delivered on the international stage and was at his best when he partnered Owen up front for the three lions. Cole could be the man to take his place and if I was picking the squad (after reading this you may be thinking ‘thank goodness he isn’t!’) I wouldn’t take Crouch, Cole and Heskey – they’re all too similar and two such players should suffice. The key problem for Owen could be Defoe. The Spurs man has enjoyed a terrific start to the season and some feel Owen and Defoe cannot play in the same team. This is something I disagree with personally, as far as I’m concerned you can never have too many strikers who will score goals.

In all fairness to Capello his reasons for not picking Owen from last season could still justifiably be valid. The season is just a few games old and Owen perhaps needs to get around 10 matches under his belt before the Italian considers him an option again. I’m fairly confident that if he has a decent season and scores over 10 goals he can force his way back into contention. The main worry could be the number of international fixtures before the tournament itself as the England boss will want to have tried and tested everyone before it kicks off in South Africa. However, I wouldn’t go betting on Owen missing out just yet - as long as he scores enough Premier League goals no manager can ignore such a proven striker.

To be honest it surprised me a bit when Manchester United came in for Owen but when you think about it the move isn’t all that surprising. I don’t know if Sir Alex Ferguson will see him as a regular starter but as a pair of fresh legs coming off the bench he will get plenty of goals at his new home. He could be the new Teddy Sheringham or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer figure at Old Trafford, either way I’m sure he’ll weigh in with his fair share of goals.

Anyway, that’s for the future, but right now we know Owen has his shooting boots back on after a hard time at Newcastle so probably best to explain how he got the said goals. The first came against a Malaysian XI, featuring players I’ve never heard of in all honesty. Despite the low profile of their opponents United were level at 2-2 after throwing away a 2-0 lead when Owen, who came on as a sub, popped up and scored the winner.

The Malaysian goalkeeper Mohammed Farizal Marlias had done well to parry Darron Gibson’s through-ball, but Owen was on hand to calmly slot home from the edge of the box. It wasn’t the most stylish of goals, but for a striker like Owen that doesn’t matter – as long as it ends up in the back of the net.

His next goal for United came in his next game, against the same side, where he was on hand to tap in an excellent cross from Serbian youngster Zoran Tosic. That made it two goals in two games (technically less, he was a sub in the first game) and hopefully Owen will hit the Premier League hard next season.

Owen is a world class striker and I’m betting he continues to score goals for United all season as long as he stays fit. I never really felt Newcastle played him in the right way to be honest and there was far too much expectation on him, but at United the pressure will be off in that respect. As favourites to win the title with the betting odds there will of course be pressure on Owen but it is a very different kind of pressure and one shared by the entire side.

As for the man himself, he is understandably feeling confident after finding the goal again.

He told sky sports: “I feel like I did eight years ago.

“There are so many players on my wavelength - world-class players. I just know this move is going to be fantastic for me.”

Clubs like Roma, Fiorentina, Everton and Astonvilla has claimed their interest in the striker wich under the last season made 10 goals in 32 appearenses.

Roumours says that Newcastle are ready to renew the contract……

question is? Does he want to stay…..

Rated at £6m, and an impressive 28 goals from 50 starts for Newcastle since joining from Real Madrid in 2005, he is one of the most sought after players in the Premier League. So with talks yet to begin to extend his current contract at St James’s Park, which runs out at end of the season, it is easy to see why there is so much speculation surrounding his future.

 So what are the options for Michael Owen? At the age of 29 any move would have to be career defining. That means Champions League football is a must, as well as the potential of becoming a Premiership League winner.

 With Roman Abramovich’s billions at their disposal Chelsea will always be an attractive proposition. They can virtually offer Owen the guarantee of Champions League football and will always be in the running as Premiership contenders. However, with competition for places rife at Stamford Bridge, Owen may not be guaranteed first team football. This is a must if Owen is to get a recall to the England national side.

 Manchester City’s desire to become the biggest club in the world means that they’re going to be competing for the best players. At City he would be assured of first team football, and would form a formidable partnership with Brazilian star Robinho. That said, they are yet to see the fruits of their spending and have made a poor start to the season. So if immediate success is what Owen is looking for then Manchester City is not the club for him.

With all the rumours surrounding Owen, it is unsurprising that the self confessed “Family Man” has been linked back to the club where it all began, Liverpool. Back with Gerrard and Co, he and Torres would be feared by defenders across the Premiership.

 Aston Villa have admitted their interest in the striker and have stated they would pay whatever it takes to make Michael Owen a Villa player. Villa are the only side that look like they could break into the elusive top four and would also give Owen the chance to work along side manager Martin O’Neill.

 The least attractive option for Owen would be a move to Tottenham. It is thought that Harry Redknapp wants the striker to bolster his striking options at Tottenham but without Champions League opportunities, North London looks unlikely for Owen.

What can be said is that Newcastle will be reluctant to let him go and given the faith they have shown him through numerous injuries, Owen will feel some level of allegiance to the club. However football is a short career and if wants to be a success then now is decision time. My bet is that if he doesn’t leave now he may be leaving it too late.

The Newcastle legend has issued a stark but true warning to Ashley saying that no player will want to sign for The Magpies while there is uncertainty looming over the club.

While Shearer gave his thoughts on the situation at St James’ Park currently, he did say he wants to become a manager himself one day. He didn’t say whether he’d want to take on the job at Newcastle if he was offered it and said that the rumours flying around about him becoming the boss at Newcastle aren’t helping the club.

Shearer said that until Newcastle has being sold the club won’t move forward and will struggle to attract new players and struggle to hold onto existing ones.

Shearer said that Michael Owen is coming to the end of his contract and thinks they could lose him, as he along with others out of contract will not want to be playing for a club with an uncertain future.

It was revealed yesterday that striker Michael Owen would be unavailable to play in the match after he suffered a groin injury in training.

The 28 year old striker is expected to be fit enough to take part in the derby match with Sunderland on the 25th October at the Stadium of Light.

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear was expectedly gutted about the news, but said that Owen should be back in 7-10 days times.

Kinnear added that Michael Owen will definitely miss the match with Man City, and is, at the minute 50-50 to face Sunderland.

Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt has being impressed by what Joe Kinnear has done so far since taking the reigns at St James’ Park in September.

33 year old Nicky Butt has had nine different managers since playing for Newcastle. He joined from Manchester United in July 2004. At Man United he had only ever had one manager and has so far seen nine come and go.

He thinks Joe Kinnear has approached the job in hand excellently and thinks there are better times around the corner for the club.

Butt told the local Newcastle radio station that Kinnear has brought some stability into the club. He added that although Kinnear was in charge of the team, he has not being shouting or issuing orders during training, but just stood to one side analyzing and watching every player.