English Premier League champions Manchester United have signed Michael Owen on a two-year contract, the club said on Friday.
Injury-prone England striker Owen, 29, a free agent after his Newcastle contract expired at the end of June, underwent a medical at a Manchester hospital on Friday before returning to United's Carrington training ground to complete the shock deal.
The move came after the only clubs interested in signing the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker appeared to be Stoke and Hull - both Premier League sides but teams for whom staying up was an achievement in itself.
Owen underwent a medical examination on the knee injury which sidelined him for much of his time at Newcastle.
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But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said signing Owen did not represent a gamble on his part.
"Michael is a world class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question," said Ferguson.
"Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish."
It has been reported that Ferguson has signed a pay as you play deal with Owen, whose weekly wage at Newcastle had been believed to be as high as ?120 000 (about R1-million).
Owen, who scored just 10 goals for the Magpies as they were relegated from the Premier League last season, said he'd been as stunned as anyone by United's interest in him.
"I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me and invited me to have breakfast with him next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me," he said.
"I agreed without a moment's thought. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands."
Former Liverpool striker Ian Rush said a move to the Merseyside club's fiercest rivals could be the ideal tonic for Owen.
"People have knocked Michael Owen all his career but he comes back bigger and better," said Rush.
"People said he was finished years ago, but he's a fantastic player who comes back stronger and better. He'll get chances for Manchester United and will score goals."
Rush - who scored more than 200 goals for Liverpool in two spells either side of an unsuccessful stint in Italy with Juventus - said he'd like to see Owen back at Anfield.
"Personally, I'd like to have seen him at Liverpool, but they haven't lost their best strikers. He (Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez) will be happy with what he's got."
Owen's weekly wage at Newcastle, for whom he scored 10 goals last season, was believed to be around ?120 000 but reports said he would take a pay cut to sign for United.
Owen has scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England, but has fallen out of favour with coach Fabio Cappello.
- This article was originally published on page 20 of Pretoria News on July 04, 2009
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