Raul: Michael Owen Can Be Premier League's Top Scorer With Manchester United

Real Madrid legend Raul reckons that former team-mate Michael Owen can be a huge hit in the Premier League with Manchester United, and has even predicted that the forward can be finish the season as leading goal scorer.

Owen sealed his surprise move to Old Trafford last month after his contract with Newcastle United was terminated by mutual consent, and has looked sharp in pre-season with the Red Devils.

Raul played alongside the 29-year-old during the 2004/05 season and, based on his first-hand experience of playing alongside the former England international, believes that Owen has the capability to set the Premier League alight.

“It would not surprise me if Michael [Owen] is the leading scorer in England next season,” The Daily Mirror reports Raul said, adding, “A player can lose fitness and as he gets older he can lose a bit of his pace, but players with instincts such as him don’t lose that.

“It would be crazy to write him off. There is great strikers like Fernando [Torres] at Liverpool and Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, but if Michael stays fit I could see him scoring more than anybody.”

Raul continued to lavish praise on the former Liverpool striker, and he concluded that a player as gifted as Owen will be able to adapt his game to allow him to continue playing at the highest level for many years.

Raul concluded, “He may have to adapt his game slightly as he gets older, as he used to be all about pace, but with the quality of service he will get in Manchester it will be a dream for [someone with] goal scoring instincts like him.”

Paul Macdonald, Goal.com