You Just Got Owened

So everyone is like OMGWTFBBQ at Manchester United signing Liverpool legend Michael Owen. The move has been met with general disdain in every corner, both from the die-hard United faithful and the angered Kop fans. Neutrals are either being neutral about it or pessimistically cynical, as people tend to be towards Man Utd.

At first glance, signing Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen to replace the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez seems feeble, at best. It's like, what, taking off a 30-million pound international striker and thrusting a raw 17 year old rookie when your side is down in a big game. Oh right...

Even with Owen and Valencia in the books at Old Trafford, will it really hamper the team? Last season, Ronaldo wasn't nearly as amazingly talismanic as he was in the season before. Save the game against Arsenal in the Champions' League, one might argue that United might have performed just as well without him, or even a lesser (and perhaps more traditional) winger. In the striking department, people need to realise that Dimitar Berbatov is NOT a targetman like Adebayor or Drogba. At Spurs, he played best when he played BEHIND a true striker. The hole. With Ronaldo's departure, Rooney has voiced his hope that he be alloted a more traditional striking position. With Rooney upfront and Berbatov supporting him, his clever play linking the creative and industrious Man Utd midfield to Rooney's work rate and predatory instincts, you could see how it would work much better than it did last term, with Rooney wide left and Berbatov isolated.

Alternatively, you could look at Michael Owen and call him the better version of Defoe or Robbie Keane at Spurs (pre and post Anfield).

"Oh, but Owen will get injured every week!"

Well, that's what people said about Ryan Giggs when he first started and blew people away. Unlike Berger, Smicer, Redknapp and a few others, Giggs has proven that with a combination of intelligent use by the manager, a top-notch medical team and personal professionalism, injuries did not become a problem for him in his later years at United. Hargreaves aside, of course.

I also question the 'Pool fans who seem to be outraged by the "traitor" Michael Owen. Didn't you guys sign Paul Ince, and make moves for Gabriel Henize, and supposedly Carlos Tevez? You're also telling me you wouldn't want Vidic, Ferdinand, Rooney or even Macheda?

Macheda might be someone concerned about Owen's arrival though. Him and Welbeck had a genuinely impressive season last time round, as did the likes of the Da Silva twins, Gibson, Evans, Foster and the now-on-loan Rodrigo Possebon. Hopefully he won't suffer with less playing time.

Another criticism of this signing is that Man Utd have not gone out and bought a big-name, top-quality star striker. Firstly, let's look at Owen. He's ranked number 4 in the all-time scoring records for England, and is in fact the only player in the top ten still playing today. He's just ten shy of becoming the all-time top-scorer. Alternatives?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the lanky and beaky Swede, is a class act but he's proven time and time again that he chokes and simply does not perform in the big stage. At a club like Man Utd, such is unacceptable. And at 90 million, it's a tad overpriced anyway. David Villa wants to stay in Spain, so he's probably off to join the Galacticos or the Catalans if Eto'o goes to Manchester. City. Ruud van Nistelrooy? Andrei Shevchenko? Adebayor? Not really. Luis Fabiano falls in the Diego Forlan cetagory for me. Alexandre Pato is a personal favorite, but Milan are unlikely to let go of him after also already losing Kaka, Beckham, Maldini and the aforementioned Ukranian double flop.

Being able to sign Sergio Aguero, the son-in-law of God, or orchestrating the return of one Giuseppe Rossi would be something to cheer for indeed. Or even landing the hugely impressive Marcus Berg, who lit up the recent U21 Tournament. Ribery seems a lost cause anyway.

As a Manchester United fan, I do look at Owen's signing with skepticism, though I implore everyone else to stop with the negativity until it is warranted. Remember Henrik Larsson and Teddy Sheringham. Who knows, maybe Michael Owen can do something at United he was never able to at Anfield - win the league, something that escapes his best buddy Steven Gerrard to this day.