Injury jinx strikes again: Owen trudges off
Michael Owen's injury will cause him particular distress because the timing of it is cruel.
The Manchester United striker was finally shaking off the criticism that has dogged him — but the bitter blow of sustaining a groin strain against Wolfsburg last night has blown the hard work he has put in to restart his England career.
Now all the old doubts about him being prone to injury will return. It will hurt Owen because, before last night’s match, he claimed that he was rediscovering the form that helped him bag a hat trick against Germany in Munich in 2001.
Speaking before his injury, sustained after 20 minutes, Owen claimed: ‘I am 100 per cent the same player I was in Munich. I am still only 29.
'It’s as if I am in my 40s the way some people talk about me.’
With England manager Fabio Capello watching from the stands, Owen had started full of optimism in what was his first start in the Champions League for five years.
Plentiful game time is what the Italian demands and Owen had admitted that he needed to establish himself in the starting line-up at United to have any chance of going to next year’s World Cup finals.
Before the injury, Owen had shown a glorious glimpse of what he is still capable of by coming off the bench to score the winner against Manchester City less than a fortnight ago, but the joy from what he called one of his most memorable strikes was short-lived.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed former Liverpool star Owen as his third choice last summer and had told the striker:
‘If you are fit it’s a no-brainer. Other people may see it as a risk but I don’t.’
As Ferguson revealed that the latest injury may keep Owen out for two to three weeks, he may have started to change his mind.
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New Manchester United striker Michael Owen has spoken about his move to Old Trafford and refuted the idea he is 'injury-prone'.
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