Is this Owen’s last bow at the Theatre of Dreams?
Owen, much to the annoyance of many united fans, was handed the legendary No. 7 jersey previously worn by the likes of Cantona, Beckham, and Ronaldo. Owen had a pretty good pre-season tour with United that year, scoring 4 goals, including the winner on his debut, showing Owen’s finishing was as good as ever. He had lost some of his electric pace that was one of his biggest assets but even then Owen was a threat to be considered in the penalty box. Owen made his competitive debut as a sub against Birmingham City and went on to score his first competitive goal in the 5-0 triumph over Wigan.
Owen’s first goal at home, can be considered the most important goal scored at Old Trafford last season and also produced a memorable moment that every United fan will remember netting the winner in the Manchester derby in the 6th minute of extra time with an incisive finish past a helpless Shay Given into net. The goal shocked City and brought Old Trafford to its feet. Owen went on to score 2 more league goals that season being used sparsely, he also scored a hat trick against Wolfsburg in the Champions League and scored in United’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Carling Cup final, where he also unfortunately got injured and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Owen played 31 games last season for United in all competitions, but he started in only 12 of those games, and he scored 9 goals. The tally is pretty good considering that Owen was rarely on the pitch long enough to make an impact thus Owen’s contribution should not be considered as bad or very less. If he had been given more game time, Owen would have scored a lot more goals. He has shown that once inside the penalty box he is very dangerous, though he may lack the pace he used to have, but he makes up for it with great timing of his runs and brilliant anticipation.
Regardless, Owen’s first season at Old Trafford has been a mixed bag to be honest, with one more year left on his contract Owen has a lot to do if he wants to be playing in the red of Manchester United next season. The emergence of Javier Hernandez, and also the likes of Rooney, Berbatov and Macheda means Owen faces a lot of competition for playing times but at the same time Owen has to have a good season this year if he wants a new contract.
One of the most impressive characteristics Owen showed last season was his professionalism, he never complained about the lack of playing time and did his best whenever he was given a chance. Owen might not be the best striker around any more but his experience and natural ability mean he is a striker that opponents cannot afford to ignore.
Whether this is his last season at Old Trafford or not, Owen has carved a place in United’s history with his goal against City. Owen still has a chance to tell Sir Alex that his story isn’t over but now he is fit if he can remain so and conjure up more moments like he did against City and Villa he may get a chance to add another chapter or two to his book.
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