Once a loathed man in Manchester now, after an amazing injury time winner against City, Michael Owen has won over a some of the Manchester United faithful. Though his season was cruelly cut short due to the horrible pitch at Wembley, his performances in the few chances he did get were good. He showed that he wasn't past it and still had something to show to the world. Unfortunately for him, he was kept out of the first team by an inspired Wayne Rooney, but he showed his professionalism by never really complaining about it and continuing to work hard.

Owen's appearances in his first season at Old Trafford were limited but he did well whenever he was given a chance, He started 5 premier league games and came on as a sub in 14 other occasions, scoring 3 goals in the process, notably the winner against Manchester City. Owen also scored 2 goals in 3 starts in the League Cup, he also scored 4 goals in the champions league where he made 3 starts and 4 appearnaces as a substitute. Overall, Owen's season can be adjudged to be a good one, he did much better than most people expected, many tipped him to break down in his first game.

Owen has lost some of his pace that made him so lethal when he young, injury and age not on his side. But Owen did show that he still had that killer instinct in front of goal, his ability to finish and remain cool under pressure was as good as ever. Owen also exemplified that even without his pace, he's still a handful in and around the penalty box, his clever movement and great anticipation make him one of the most lethal poachers around. Leave Owen free in the penalty box and he can make the opposition regret it!

Michael did gel well with the team and also Owen and Berbatov seemed to have formed a good partnership upfront whenever they played, with Owen making good use of the Bulgarians cheeky passes and clever through balls, hence showing there is a potentially successful strike pairing to rely on if Rooney were not available. Owen's contribution to the team must not be taken lightly, he should be considered key to United's title challenge next season and will play a very important role also for the young strikers coming through at United.

Owen is the most experienced striker United have at the moment and also a player, people such as Macheda, Hernandez, etc can look up to and learn from in the future. Owen might be nearing 30 and he might not be the fastest around anymore, but Michael Owen is still one of the most dangerous strikers around and his career at Manchester United might be at a turning point. Owen might just prove how good he really is!

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