No place for Owen on the plane to South Africa

Michael Owen had been one of the most lethal strikers in Europe when he was at his peak but numerous injuries and some bad career choices have prevented them from reaching his full potential. He, nevertheless, amassed 89 England caps and scored 40 goals (Owen goals), just nine less than Sir Bobby Charlton, who is England’s top scorer of all times. The diminutive striker probably thought a switch to Manchester United would improve his chances of being recalled to the squad but so far, he remains overlooked. The player states he still believes he can make the World Cup squad, but the reality is quite different.

Michael Owen had really had a couple of great seasons at Liverpool but he has never been able to rediscover that form since leaving Anfield. In all fairness, his career has been plagued with injuries from the time he joined Real but his constant injury problems are just another reason why he shouldn’t make the World Cup squad. Owen failed to prove he still had it at United and unless he embarks on a scoring spree, he won’t even be considered by Capello. The truth is he would probably make the squad if he was to start scoring goals for United as that one place alongside Rooney in attack remains open, but there is no way this Michael Owen could start scoring goals on regular basis.

At least he is fair to himself by saying that he understands why he is not in the squad and Capello is not the man who would pick a player based on his performances from couple of years back. The way Owen has been playing lately is not good enough to earn him a starting place at Hull, let alone England national team. I don’t really know why he is being mentioned as a possible inclusion in the team when there are players like Darren Bent not getting a call-up either. Owen is ‘just’ 29 and if his career hadn’t been plagued with injuries, he would still have two or three good years in front of him but this way, he is definitely in the closing stages of his career. Sorry Owen, but you’ll be watching the World Cup only on TV!

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