Michael Owen - Still up to it?

Since Manchester United decided to not renew the 32 year olds contract, Owen once again found himself searching for a new club in the summer. Many rumours circulated throughout the summer, with Sunderland, Everton and even a controversial return to Liverpool reported to be possible destinations for the former Newcastle man. However it was Stoke who eventually won the race for Owen's signature, meaning the 32 year old front man will link up with his good friend and former England team mate, Peter Crouch, upfront at the Britannia. But with Michael Owen enduring a torrid time with injuries for a number of years, many doubts have been raised regarding just how much Owen will provide for Stoke this season. So the question is, can Michael Owen still produce the goods at the highest level?
 
Michael Owen and Peter Crouch will re form a partnership they
made back in their England days
In my opinion, there are not many better poachers then Owen in the football world to this day. Although he has lost his pace and sharpness, Owen still knows where the goal is and can still provide a massive threat to opposition defences. Natural goal scorers are also very hard to find these days; and if you do find one on the market you have to pay big money for them, which what makes Owen such a rare and unique player. But what makes Owen such a lethal goal scorer is his knack of finding goal scoring opportunities. He puts himself in the right areas and has done so for many years at both club and International level, and he has reaped the rewards as a result with countless number of goals for club and country.

Michael Owen's predatory instincts around goal will help Stoke
 with the goals needed to build on last seasons 14th place finish
Owen has proven his worth as a lethal finisher ever since his early days at Liverpool and this natural ability to take chances has ensured he has an incredible goal scoring record to his name. In the Premier League during spells at Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United, he has scored an impressive 149 goals in 317 appearances, which equates to a reputable 0.47 goals per game. He has also performed admirably on an international stage, bagging 40 goals in 89 games for his country; making him the 5th English top scorer of all time.
 
But I have my doubts whether Owen can still provide goals at the highest level on a consistent basis. My biggest worry is Owens fitness. At the age of 21, Owen tore one of his 3 hamstring muscles; and ever since he's been running on 2 hamstring muscles instead of 3. This, of course, creates great physical strain not only on his hamstring, but also his whole body and it has taken it's toll; causing Owen to have been plagued with numerous injuries throughout his footballing career. In recent years he has never been able to prove his fitness, and featuring in just 31 league games spanning 4 seasons at previous club Manchester United highlights the severity of his injury woes.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis will be hoping that his gamble of
signing Owen will pay off
Secondly, Owen is approaching his 33rd birthday in December, meaning he is no spring chicken. His best days are undoubtedly behind him, and it is highly unlikely that he can produce anywhere near the level he did when he was At Liverpool. Old age and persistent injury walk hand in hand, and I have a bad feeling that his injury problems are only going to get worse as time goes by. We have seen some great players fall away into nothingness due to old age, and I think Owen is in great danger of following the same path.
 
If Owen can prove his fitness, he is firmly in contention for a place in the starting line up when Stoke welcome Manchester City to the Britannia later on Saturday. Tony Pulis has shown great confidence in thinking that Owen will stay injury free and rekindle the form he showed during his glory days at Liverpool, and I believe it is a risk worth taking. Despite Owen turning 33 in December, to capture Owen on a free could be a real coup for Stoke, and if he produces his best and stays injury free he can fire in vital goals all year round for Stoke this season.

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