Injury ends Michael Owens season and World Cup hopes
Michael Owen laughed off suggestions that he was cursed on Sunday after he had limped off the Wembley turf during the Carling Cup final. The striker had cause to reassess his verdict yesterday when it emerged that a ruptured hamstring has ruled him out for the rest of the season and the World Cup.
The long and frenzied debate about whether Fabio Capello, the England manager, should take a gamble by including the Manchester United forward in his 23-man squad for this summers finals in South Africa ended yesterday, five days after the 30-year-old pulled up towards the end of the first half of Uniteds 2-1 victory against Aston Villa. The injury has proved much more serious than first expected.
The Times understands that Owen has suffered a complete rupture of his left hamstring, which will require the string-like tendons to be reattached when the player undergoes surgery on Monday morning.
Sir Alex Ferguson blamed the Wembley pitch, which he likened yesterday to a ploughed field, and his underuse of Owen for the injury, but the United manager offered the forward some reassurance by insisting that Owen would be at Old Trafford next season, despite speculation that he could be discarded in the summer.
Its a terrible blow for the lad and disappointing for us, too, Ferguson said. Hes never missed a training session all season. I think the heavy pitch at Wembley made some contribution to it, but its really just bad luck, so hes out for the season.
I dont think Ive played him as much as I should have, but thats had a lot to do with Wayne Rooneys form and us choosing to play with one striker a lot of the time.
Asked if Owen, who signed a two-year contract last summer with the option of a third year, would still be at the club next season, Ferguson said: Yeah, hell be here next season, absolutely.
Owen is confident he will be fit for the start of the 2010-11 campaign. Unfortunately, the specialist says I will miss the end of the season, he said. I have loved every minute of my first campaign with United and have already enjoyed some memorable moments. I am determined to come back at the start of next season in peak condition.
Capello claimed in October that he was tormented about whether to take Owen, the highest England goalscorer still playing with 40 goals in 89 internationals, to the World Cup finals, although there was an acceptance that the forward was almost certain not to be aboard the flight to South Africa unless he got more playing time with United.
Owen has played just 214 minutes of football since the turn of the year and made only three starts for the Barclays Premier League champions since scoring a hat-trick away to Wolfsburg in the Champions League on December 8.
His goal against Villa on Sunday was his ninth in 31 appearances for United this season, 20 of which have come from the substitutes bench. Owens injury will all but guarantee Jermain Defoe, the Tottenham Hotspur striker, a place in Capellos squad.
Ferguson praised Owens contribution since joining on a free transfer from Newcastle United, most notably against Wolfsburg and for scoring a stoppage-time winner in the 4-3 league victory against Manchester City at Old Trafford in September.
His training performances have been terrific, hes been good in the dressing room and every game he came on for us he made a chance, the United manager said. He may have missed some chances, which will have disappointed himself, but in the main he was always a threat in terms of movement in the last third of the field, creating chances and in some cases doing very well for us.
There was better news for United and England yesterday on Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves.
Ferdinand is expected to be fit for Uniteds game against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux today after recovering from a recurrence of a back problem that has restricted the central defender to three appearances since October 25. Rio is back for us, which is good news, Ferguson said.
Hargreaves has been tentatively pencilled in for Uniteds reserve-team match against Manchester City at Altrincham FC on Thursday. The England midfield player has not featured competitively for United since September 2008 after undergoing operations on both knees to cure a chronic tendinitis problem.
Owen Hargreaves has shown this week that hes almost ready to play again, Ferguson said. Ive got him pencilled in for a reserve game on Thursday. Hes been training with the first team, which is good to see.
