🎤 Michael Owen Exclusive Interview

Michael Owen Interview

Speaking to OLBG, Michael Owen has predicted a seventh-place finish for Manchester United after they made a mistake in keeping Erik ten Hag despite winning the FA Cup

Owen has also tipped Erling Haaland to smash Alan Shearer’s Premier League goalscoring record of 260 goals following back-to-back Golden Boot awards.

The former Manchester United man has urged his former club to leave Old Trafford for a new stadium – and backed Ruud van Nistelrooy to end up as manager.

Q: What is your prediction for the Golden Boot in 2023/24?

MO: “If Erling Haaland stays fit then he’s the Golden Boot winner, Manchester City create so many chances, as do other clubs, but they don’t have the focal point like Haaland.

“Look at Arsenal, I wouldn't even know who's going to be the top scorer for Arsenal even though I think they could have a great season. You could argue that Bukayo Saka could be, Kai Havertz  could be, Gabriel Jesus if stays fully fit for the season.

“Haaland is the standout striker, you can’t see anybody getting near him in terms of numbers.

“Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa could have another good season, Son Heung-Min could mount a challenge because Tottenham score an awful lot of goals. I can’t see anyone at Manchester United doing it.

“Haaland is out on his own and then Mohamed Salah is a distant second, it could be a foregone conclusion.

“Chelsea have Nicolas Jackson who Mauricio Pochettino was a big fan of his and thought he could develop into a top player. Part of me agrees but he’s still quite raw and I don't think he can score 25 goals plus which he would need.”

Premier League Top Scorer Odds

These are the current odds fo the top goalscorer in the premier League this season with bookies online.

England Premier League 2024/25

Latest odds at Oct 8, 2024

	Selection	Probability	Odds
1	Erling Haaland	100%	1
2	Cole Palmer	7.7%	13
3	Mohamed Salah	6.7%	15
4	Ollie Watkins	5.9%	17
5	Dominic Solanke	2.9%	34
6	Alexander Isak	2%	51
7	Darwin Nunez	1.5%	67

Q: Could Darwin Nunez compete for the Golden Boot?

MO: “When it comes to finishing, you can practice certain scenarios and you can put yourself in certain situations and drill a certain finish - and certain areas of where you can finish from is definitely helpful. 

“I always go back to Mohamed Salah, I look at him and his finishing ability when I first set eyes on him, then you look at him now and he's a 10 times better finisher.

“Conversely, when I look at Nunez, when he first turned up I saw a raw player and thought that if he can be coached well, if he can learn, if he can add a bit to his game, he could be unstoppable. But sadly, I'm still saying the same thing now. 

“That leads me to believe that he'll struggle to score the numbers of goals that his potential suggests he could. So I'm starting to doubt that he can win a Golden Boot, whereas when he first joined I thought, wow, this guy could develop into something special. 

“He’s still a very, very talented player and will score a handful, but the question is can he win a Golden Boot? Not on the evidence I’ve seen.”

Q: Would you still like to do some work with Darwin Nunez on finishing?

MO: “I remember saying a couple of seasons ago on the television, if I could just have one wish at that time, it would be to sit down with Ollie Watkins and Darwin Nunez. I'd just love to talk to them and give them a bit of guidance.

“That's not me pitching for a job because I'm happy with my lot, but yeah there are some strikers that I watch and I think that with a little bit of guidance they have got the raw ability to be anything. 

“What you've probably seen is Ollie Watkins really improving and Darwin Nunez probably staying at a similar level to what he was when he first signed still.

“I would still say that he’s a very good player that is a handful and scores goals but still has gaps in his game that you would like to see him improve.

“When I see certain players I can think that is what I would’ve done in front of goal or that’s not how I would’ve done it.

“When Darwin Nunez chipped the goalkeeper away at Brentford it was just the most freakish finish I've ever seen. It was just an unbelievable finish. But while the whole world was going mad about it, I sort of tried to put some context on it and say that's why he's not the Golden Boot winner. 

“Yes he scored a goal, but that's a two out of ten finish whereas if he does something different, it's six or seven in ten. That's the type of thing I'm talking about. 

“The outcome is not always the answer. His outcome will be two or three out of 10 trying to finish like that if he did on a consistent basis.

“Decision making is everything and making the right decisions more often than not and the consistency of them is when you will get the big numbers at the end.”

Q: Will Erling Haaland finish his career as the Premier League’s all-time top scorer?

MO: “The only question regarding if Erling Haaland will become the top goalscorer in Premier League history is if he stays at Manchester City.

“He’s miles off it at the moment but what’s going to stop him if he does stay at City for the long run? 

“There's no chance he can go to Real Madrid, they've just signed Kylian Mbappe and that's them sorted for the foreseeable future, so that avenue is probably closed. 

“Barcelona aren't the team that you'd want to join at the minute and might not be for a few years. Where else can you go? Harry Kane is Bayern Munich but would Haaland even want to go back to Germany? He's been there and done that.

“The Premier League is the only place for him really at the moment unless he went to Saudi Arabia, so the foreseeable future does appear to be Manchester City for Haaland and if that is the case then I can see him breaking the record.

“Even if Pep Guardiola is to leave and they aren’t winning titles, he’ll still be scoring 25 goals a season. If I was to put money on it then I would say yes he will become the top goalscorer in Premier League history.

“Barcelona when Robert Lewandowski leaves, that could be where Haaland ends up in a few years, but as he gets close to the record, if that was me it would tempt me to stay. I think he will break it.”

Q: Why will Chelsea and Manchester United miss out on the top four?

MO: “Chelsea were getting some consistency under Mauricio Pochettino and then they changed their manager, there is still a huge question mark over Chelsea.

“You don't know what to expect and you don't know what's going to come from the new manager. It’s even different to teams like Newcastle who you expect to have a strong season and Tottenham who can blow anyway one at times.

“Manchester United were one of the first teams that I discounted for the top four to be honest. I’m surprised they didn't change their manager when they were changing an awful lot in the summer.

“As I've said before, I don't think Erik ten Hag is the right man for the job personally. The other frustration is that they have gone and signed players and now Leny Yoro is out injured for the first chunk of the season which is pretty demoraising for Manchester United fans and the club.

“There’s not been enough of a change out there on the pitch for me to believe there is going to be much of a change to their fortunes this season.

“They've had a couple of years now under Ten Hag, if we were going to see improvement it would’ve been after six or seven months - not two years. I don't see any change. They keep throwing money at players, but they've been doing that for 15 years now and it's never worked. Why would it work now?

Premier League Betting Odds

These are the current odds for th EPL winners this season that can be found on your favourite sports betting apps

England Premier League 2024/25

Latest odds at Oct 8, 2024

	Selection	Probability	Odds
1	Arsenal	50%	2
2	Man City	33.3%	3
3	Liverpool	20%	5
4	Chelsea	4.8%	21
5	Tottenham	1.5%	67
6	Newcastle	1%	101
7	Brighton	0.7%	151
8	Man Utd	0.7%	151

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The Best Football Betting Sites

Q: What are your predictions for fifth to eighth place?

MO: “After the top four, I've gone Newcastle fifth and then I've gone Spurs sixth and then United in seventh and Chelsea in eighth but they could have a good season.

“There is more of a question mark over Chelsea but less about Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United, I’m expecting to see similar seasons from them.”

Q: Has Arne Slot shown his winning mentality after Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Man Utd?

MO: “Arne Slot has shown some great signs in pre-season, because that game against Manchester United was a big game for him.

“All the eyes were on him, talk about pressure. When you talk about who's the biggest signing in the Premier League this summer, it’s Arne Slot.

“That is the biggest role to fill in the Premier League this summer. Jurgen Klopp leaving after all that time, that is the biggest signing and he's got more pressure on him than anybody else in the Premier League.

“Even though it's pre-season friendly, because of who it was against I think straight away Liverpool fans will be quietly excited.

“It’s good early signs and enough to get the crowd really backing you, get that belief, get the players understanding that your standards are high because they need to be high to go and win the Premier League, they need to be super high.

“I think it was very positive and more than just a pre-season game for Liverpool.”

Q: Do you agree with Manchester United’s decision to move to a new stadium?

MO: “For the Manchester United investors, they can’t do anything about the past, they’ve seen the issues with the stadium but it might be too late to do anything about it.

“In an ideal situation Liverpool decided they could stay and renovate Anfield, but Tottenham did something similar to Manchester United’s proposal and none of the fans have been disappointed by that.

“It's just an incredible stadium. Okay it's moved a few yards and there are people that never want to leave the old stadium and all the rest of it. But it's not like they're moving 20 miles across town.

“It will still be  Old Trafford, it's just a brand new state-of-the-art stadium.

“If that means Manchester United have a stadium that is up there with Tottenham's and you guess in this day and age they're going to build something even bigger and better, just imagine how good a stadium they could have. 

“I mean it could be absolutely incredible, they will probably have the best stadium in the world.

“When you've got a blank canvas and you've got the support that they've got and the wealth that they've got, you'd have to believe that they're going to build the best stadium in the world and that should excite Manchester United fans.”

Q: Will Ruud van Nistelrooy end up managing Manchester United?

MO: “It’s an interesting situation for Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United, because if it’s 5 games, 50 games or 500 games, Erik ten Hag will go at some point.

“When it does happen the club will look for a new manager and because that takes time, there is often an interim coach or a caretaker while that search happens.

“So if Van Nistelrooy doesn’t leave before Ten Hag, you would think that he would get a handful of games as manager like Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick have done in the past.

“Even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was temporary and he did well enough to buy himself more time and eventually they had to give him the job.

“It doesn't take a genius to work out that having been a manager and now being the assistant manager at his former club, Van Nistelrooy could get to manage Manchester United at some point.

“But I think at this stage he's obviously coming to the club to help Ten Hag change their fortunes around, I don't think he's got eyes on that prize just yet but in the future I definitely wouldn't be surprised if he got to manage the team for a handful of games.”

Q: Should Amad Diallo be awarded a starting berth over Antony?

MO: “Amad Diallo has been the buzzword of preseason for Manchester United after making some headlines last year, I think he’s going to play a prominent role this season.

“The signing of Antony hasn't gone that well and as much as it looks like he isn’t the answer for United, that’s happened to that many players over the last dozen or so seasons.

“Great players have come in and it hasn’t worked for them, look at Jadon Sancho who was playing so well in the seasons leading up to the transfer.

“It's just a hard place to go. Even the great Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't been able to reignite Manchester United when he went back. I could go talk about dozens of great players that have arrived at United in the last 10 or 15 years that have looked average.

“Sometimes then they even go on to somewhere else and pick it up again and start doing well. I think it's quite dangerous writing players like Antony off, even though your eyes are telling you that he doesn't seem to have the pace required and seems to lack a little bit of confidence.

“But he's now a youngster snapping at his heels and It might be a tough season for him, but if Erik ten Hag can get a tune out of the team, players might start surprising you.”

Q: What would your advice be for Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United?

MO: “Kobbie Mainoo has real talent. I believe he is here to stay because of that. A lot of young players have made their debuts over the years and get hyped up even when they aren’t that great in the first place.

“In the past players have been made out to be the next Wayne Rooney or Paul Scholes or Thierry Henry when they shouldn't have even been in the same breath. They haven’t even been the new Nicklas Bendtner.

“Players can sort of tail away, but I'd argue some of them weren't even great in the first place. The great players that burst onto the scene like Wayne Rooney and Jude Bellingham have shown that they are here to stay and Mainoo is the same.

“It comes down to ability and mentality. Mainoo just needs to avoid getting carried away and keep his feet on the ground. 

“I think he’ll be absolutely fine because he has the quality and mentality. Players that don’t have that will fall away.”

Q: What could we see of Marcus Rashford this season at Man Utd?

MO: “It’s a really strange situation with Marcus Rashford. There are very few players that are so good like Marcus and score 30 goals in a season and then go and score eight goals last season.

“Having such a contrast in your output is quite rare, which leads you to believe that there's something going on that we just don't know.

“But the thing with Marcus, he can still be a great player. If you've got a ready-made, homegrown player that has all the ability in the world, that has been there, seen it, done it, that has proven that he can do it and scored the goals that Manchester United need and he's right under your nose. You've got to move heaven and earth to get him playing.

“People talk about moving him on and things like that but you've got someone that you know can do it already there. So I'd suggest you look a little bit more inward and try to improve what you've got. 

“I would definitely be in the camp of keeping Marcus Rashford and trying to get the best out of him because his talent is there in black and white. We've seen it before. 

“No one can doubt it's there, it’s just going to take someone to bring it out.”

Michael Owen Profile

Michael James Owen was born on December 14, 1979, in Chester, England. He is the son of former footballer Terry Owen and showed early promise in football. Rising through the ranks of Liverpool's youth academy, Owen made his senior debut for the club in 1996. His quick rise to prominence was marked by his first Premier League goal in 1997, making him Liverpool's youngest scorer at 17 years and 143 days old.

Club Career Highlights

Liverpool

Owen's tenure at Liverpool (1996-2004) was spectacular. Known for his speed and finishing ability, he tied for the Premier League Golden Boot in his first full season, repeating this feat the following year. Over his time with Liverpool, Owen scored 158 goals in 297 appearances. He was instrumental in Liverpool's 2001 UEFA Cup, FA Cup, and Football League Cup triumphs, earning the prestigious Ballon d'Or in the same year.

Real Madrid and Newcastle United

In 2004, Owen transferred to Real Madrid for £8 million, though he often found himself on the bench. A year later, he returned to England, joining Newcastle United for £16.8 million. Despite a promising start, injuries marred his time at Newcastle. Nonetheless, Owen ended as the club's top scorer in the 2007-08 season and served as team captain.

Manchester United and Stoke City

Owen made a surprise move to Manchester United in 2009 after Newcastle's relegation. He spent three years at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League title. He concluded his club career with a season at Stoke City, retiring at the end of the 2012-13 season. 

International Career

Owen debuted for England's senior team in 1998 and quickly became a national hero with his memorable goal against Argentina in the World Cup. He went on to score in major tournaments including UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, and Euro 2004. By the end of his international career, Owen amassed 40 goals in 89 appearances, making him one of England's top scorers at the time.

Post-Retirement Pursuits

After retiring from professional football, Owen shifted his focus to racehorse breeding and ownership. In addition, he became a well-regarded sports pundit and commentator, often providing expert opinions on football matches and tournaments.