Michael Owen is certainly no longer considered in the prime of his career as a 32 year old striker who has been plagued by injuries in recent years. However back in the day Owen was good. He was very, very good. The sad fact now remains that English talent has become so sparse that the media still persist on hanging on to every word despite Owen barely playing any football over the past year.
The England squad these days has seen an influx of younger players resulting in a much needed breath of fresh air. The likes of Jack Wilshere (despite his injury troubles), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling all provide a solid foundation for the future. English talent hasn’t yet dried up.
This weekend Roy Hodgson has made the media happy by suggesting the door could well re-open for Owen who currently performs an admirable role on the Stoke City bench. Seriously? The average fan has to wonder how much Hodgson’s recent comments regarding the amount of English talent within the English Premier League, quoted at a minority 35.2%, has to do with his sudden and unprovoked comment.
Owen certainly needs to find fitness before he can discover form. At this moment in time his reputation from his younger days are catching up with him in a positive light and allowing him to skip the England queue ahead of others, Peter Crouch being a fine example of this. Crouch’s England scoring record is impressive and surely can add as much quality as Michael Owen.
After all this Owen bashing, I must remind you I said at the beginning that Owen was indeed a good player. So sit back and enjoy Owen at his finest before the days of horse racing, twitter and constant media comments.
Tomos Llewellyn
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