'He’s unbelievable' - Michael Owen tells Man Utd they should have signed £60m Chelsea star Joao Pedro

Former Manchester United and Liverpool striker Owen has expressed his admiration for Pedro, claiming that the Red Devils should have secured the Brazilian's signature long before he became a star at Stamford Bridge.

Pedro, who joined Chelsea from Brighton in a deal worth £60m just twelve months ago, enjoyed a stellar debut campaign despite the club's wider struggles.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Owen explained: "I’m a huge Pedro fan, I think he’s unbelievable. In fact, Manchester United should have bought him about four years ago when he was at Watford. United had nobody up front for years and I thought, 'That Pedro', I love him. Him, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer as a front three… strange signings in Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson obviously."

Beyond his praise for Pedro, Owen is incredibly optimistic about Chelsea's prospects under the guidance of new manager Xabi Alonso. After a disappointing tenth-place finish last season, the Blues are entering a new era without the distraction of European football.

Owen drew parallels between Alonso's current task and his historic success in the Bundesliga, where he transformed a struggling side into champions. The pundit stated: "Chelsea. This could be way off the mark but they’ve got no Europe at all and you see how important that has been over the years. It was brilliant for Manchester United last year. This manager [Alonso] did something similar with an unfancied team in Germany [Bayer Leverkusen], he’s going to change a lot, they’ve bought well."

Pedro’s impact at Chelsea has been immediate, with the versatile attacker netting 20 goals in all competitions last term. He quickly established himself as the focal point of the Blues' attack, starting ahead of fellow summer arrival Liam Delap.

Addressing the potential for Chelsea to shock the league, Owen admitted there are still areas for improvement but remains bullish on their overall trajectory. He continued: "There’s a big question mark over the goalkeeper, I hear that. But I just think that could catch fire that team. They’ve got no European football to concentrate on and there’s some good players there. I think Chelsea could have a big season."

With seven years remaining on his current contract, Pedro is considered one of the 'untouchables' within the Chelsea hierarchy. The club’s swift rejection of Arsenal’s advances, which reportedly reached the €100m, sends a clear message about his importance to Alonso’s tactical plans.

Pedro has previously attracted interest from European heavyweights like Barcelona, further validating Owen’s assessment that Manchester United missed a trick by not acting sooner during the player's development phases at Watford and Brighton.