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Michael Owen: I'd Knew I'd Score Goals At Manchester United
Ex-Anfield ace settling in well in Salford.
Nov 24, 2009 5:23:20 AM
Michael Owen is enjoying life at Manchester United and has claimed that he was always confident of success at his new club after leaving Newcastle United in the summer.
Owen points to his previous record as the reason for his confidence and feels that his career statistics show his quality, however they are interpreted.
"In my own mind I never doubted I’d score goals if I stayed fit and was given time on the pitch," he told United's official website.
"How can you fail to score goals in a team like this? You’re playing with such good players that it’s impossible not to get chances.
"In Madrid it was a similar story – I didn’t start every game but I ended up with the best goals-to-minutes ratio in the league.
"You can twist stats whichever way you want. A goal every one-and-a-half games sounds good, whereas four goals in 16 games isn’t quite so impressive. But they’re both accurate.
"At the end of the day, all I’m concerned about is playing and scoring as many times as I can.
"I’ve played in a team that was struggling and I much prefer life at a winning club, even if that means I don’t play every minute of every game.
"I’m here at a club that’s full of quality, training with top players every day and working under a top manager. I’ve had my fair share of starts and minutes on the pitch this season so I’m not about to complain."
Owen earned a place in the hearts of many Red Devils with his dramatic injury time winner against Manchester City earlier in the season. It was a strike he will certainly remember.
"That moment was really special," he explained. "When I retire and I’m thinking about the top five or six thrills I got out of football I’ll definitely think about my goal in the World Cup against Argentina and scoring two in an FA Cup final.
"But scoring that goal against City is right up there with those moments."
And the striker also reveals that Sir Alex Ferguson's side did not allow their recent defeat at Chelsea to dispirit them, and he predicts that United will surge up the Premier League table after Christmas.
When we lost at Liverpool it was a different story – we didn’t perform well at Anfield – but at Chelsea there’s no way on Earth we deserved to lose that game," he asserted.
"We walked away from Stamford Bridge with our heads held high and feeling pretty happy with the way we played. There were plenty of positives to take out of that performance.
"As an outsider for many years, the image I have of Manchester United is of a team that only really hits top gear around Christmas. I remember a lot of unbeaten runs in the latter part of seasons and, looking ahead at our fixtures, we’re aiming to embark on one of those now.
"We’ve got a good opportunity – we don’t play any of the ‘big’ sides again until the end of January – so there’s definitely no need to panic over a five-point gap."
Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section!
Owen points to his previous record as the reason for his confidence and feels that his career statistics show his quality, however they are interpreted.
"In my own mind I never doubted I’d score goals if I stayed fit and was given time on the pitch," he told United's official website.
"How can you fail to score goals in a team like this? You’re playing with such good players that it’s impossible not to get chances.
"In Madrid it was a similar story – I didn’t start every game but I ended up with the best goals-to-minutes ratio in the league.
"You can twist stats whichever way you want. A goal every one-and-a-half games sounds good, whereas four goals in 16 games isn’t quite so impressive. But they’re both accurate.
"At the end of the day, all I’m concerned about is playing and scoring as many times as I can.
"I’ve played in a team that was struggling and I much prefer life at a winning club, even if that means I don’t play every minute of every game.
"I’m here at a club that’s full of quality, training with top players every day and working under a top manager. I’ve had my fair share of starts and minutes on the pitch this season so I’m not about to complain."
Owen earned a place in the hearts of many Red Devils with his dramatic injury time winner against Manchester City earlier in the season. It was a strike he will certainly remember.
"That moment was really special," he explained. "When I retire and I’m thinking about the top five or six thrills I got out of football I’ll definitely think about my goal in the World Cup against Argentina and scoring two in an FA Cup final.
"But scoring that goal against City is right up there with those moments."
And the striker also reveals that Sir Alex Ferguson's side did not allow their recent defeat at Chelsea to dispirit them, and he predicts that United will surge up the Premier League table after Christmas.
When we lost at Liverpool it was a different story – we didn’t perform well at Anfield – but at Chelsea there’s no way on Earth we deserved to lose that game," he asserted.
"We walked away from Stamford Bridge with our heads held high and feeling pretty happy with the way we played. There were plenty of positives to take out of that performance.
"As an outsider for many years, the image I have of Manchester United is of a team that only really hits top gear around Christmas. I remember a lot of unbeaten runs in the latter part of seasons and, looking ahead at our fixtures, we’re aiming to embark on one of those now.
"We’ve got a good opportunity – we don’t play any of the ‘big’ sides again until the end of January – so there’s definitely no need to panic over a five-point gap."
Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section!
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