Fabio Capello believes Manchester United can rejuvenate Michael Owen’s career – and give England a huge World Cup boost. Owen has been the forgotten man of England since Capello took charge, restricted to just one 45-minute run-out against France in March 2008. But the England boss feels the striker’s shock switch to Old Trafford can breathe new life into Owen and hand him a better chance of leading the country to glory in South Africa next summer.
Capello will monitor him intensively next season, looking for signs that Sir Alex Ferguson has indeed pulled off a master-stroke by bringing the 29-year-old to United just as it appeared he was running out of options. Capello remains to be convinced that Owen really can recapture the form and sharpness that made him a crucial member of the national squad from France 98 onwards.
The England boss does, however, feel that if anybody can unlock the talent within Owen, it is Fergie. And if Owen consistently finds the back of the net for United, that will put him back into the World Cup equation.
Capello has told close friends that he views the move as a very positive development both for the player and England, hoping that a refocused Owen can bring him an unexpected bonus in World Cup year.
But the Italian will expect to see a dramatic improvement in the star’s play after he appeared lost and listless as Newcastle’s survival hopes withered and died. If the improvement happens, then Capello is ready to give the striker the chance to close in on Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals and play in his fourth World Cup.
However, he will expect Owen to show more humility than he did in Paris. Capello recognises Owen’s international record – he has 40 goals in 89 matches – but the coach has never hidden his misgivings over the front-runner’s all-round contribution. His view was simple – if Owen did not score then England were effectively playing with 10 men.
That perception seemed more than harsh, but Capello had an extra reason for his approach. He believed the rest of the squad had developed a dependency complex, feeling that if “Mo” was not available to bail them out, nobody could deliver the goals required. That thinking clearly irked Owen, who vented his frustrations after his half-time substitution in Paris.
Owen said: “You had better ask the manager what he is trying to achieve. You ask him. “In terms of what he is trying to do, you’d best ask him. Every player wants to play but for now I’m not. I am sure he has seen me play before.”
Owen’s subsequent pull-out, citing illness when he was seen enjoying himself at Chester races, for the summer friendlies with the USA and Trinidad and Tobago, was a massive own goal, reinforcing Capello’s initial instincts. But as England romped through their World Cup qualifying campaign without Owen, Capello was ready to let bygones be bygones. After all, take away Wayne Rooney, and how many world class strikers do England have? Not many. Not any, probably, with Emile Heskey an unlikely line leader and Capello having doubts about Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Had Owen started and scored for Newcastle in either of their last two Premier League games against Fulham and Aston Villa, he would have been recalled for the summer games against Kazakhstan and Andorra.
The fact that Toon boss Alan Shearer left him out, giving Owen just 24 minutes at Villa Park, gave Capello little option but to omit him again. It looked as if the one-time emblem of English football was seeing his career peter out. All that changed when Ferguson made first contact.
Expect to see Capello at Old Trafford very early next term.
