United's net profit

For a start it's on a free but more importantly, there is no better finisher in the Premier League. And knowing how many chances United create - and they make a lorryload every week - he will score goals for fun at Old Trafford.

Owen: will be celebrating with Rooney again, says Merse - maybe for England

I know people go on about his injuries and what the doubters are saying, but I don't think his fitness problems will be as bad now. Why? Because he will not be under as much stress.

Yes, United are one of the biggest clubs in the world and he will be playing in front of 70,000 fans every other week and in the Champions League, but I genuinely think there would have been more pressure on him had he gone to say, Hull.

At United he will get plenty of chances and he will score plenty of goals. How many times do you see United dominate teams for the whole game? Practically every week they have 70-80 per cent possession, but sometimes they just need someone to stick the ball in the net - and there are none better at that than Michael Owen.

Paul Merson
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At Hull he would know he was only going to get one, maybe two, chances a game, which means he has to take them. If he didn't and they get beat, there was only going to be one player everyone was pointing at: Michael Owen.

At United he will get plenty of chances and he will score plenty of goals. How many times do you see them dominate teams for the whole game? Practically every week they have 70-80 per cent possession, but sometimes they just need someone to stick the ball in the net - and there are none better at that than Michael Owen.

Perfect

I actually can't believe Arsenal didn't come in for him because they are another side that dominates teams but never take enough of their chances. Liverpool are a different matter because they play on the counter-attack and like to let teams come on them, but I thought he'd be the perfect buy for Arsene Wenger.

They say you're good if you are a one-goal-in-two chances striker. Well I happen to think Owen is even better than that, possibly two in three. At United he'll get three chances every game and he will score goals - and as strange as it may sound, it might just be good news for England.

I know Fabio Capello is not exactly his biggest fan, but I can't think of four better English centre-forwards, I really can't. There is always a surprise in a World Cup year and although it seems an odd thing to say about one of our best goalscorers, I can see Michael sneaking in the back door for South Africa.

Put it this way; international defenders fear him. They always did and always will. When the German centre-halves or Brazilian centre-halves look at that England team-sheet and see Emile Heskey's name on it, they know they are going to be given a game. But no disrespect to Emile, they also know they can let him go and he probably won't punish them. Let Owen go once, and he'll get a goal.

Pace

I have played with him several times for England and he just seems to know where the ball is going. You can tell that by the amount of headed goals he gets, especially for Newcastle. He's nowhere near the biggest on the pitch, but he still gets there first, because instinctively he knows where to go.

People talk about him losing that crucial yard of pace and it might be true, but I don't think it will matter at United one bit. Yes, between the halfway line and the edge of the box it has affected his game, but he won't need that - it's in the penalty area where they want him.

You know United are going to pin teams back and you know the opposition are going to drop deep and pack men behind the ball, so out-and-out pace is not that important.

Michael is not interested in dropping deep and linking up and United will not want him to do that - they already have Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov to do that.

I just wonder though, if it means we are going to see Sir Alex Ferguson change his approach now Cristiano Ronaldo has gone. Yes, the 4-3-3 works well when you have got a winger banging in 25 goals a season, but they don't have that now so effectively you are asking the man up top, whoever he is, to come up with 40 goals.

Popular

I wouldn't be surprised to see Fergie switch to a 4-4-2, especially in the games Michael plays in. I don't think he will be a starter every week but I do think he will be the man they turn to in certain games and also someone they can bring off the bench when they're desperate for a goal.

I can see him fitting in at United in the same way as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did - and we all know how successful and popular he was at Old Trafford.

If you give him chances Michael Owen will score goals. He will score goals for fun for Manchester United - and I still think the same goes for England, too.