Michael Owen: I'm fit and ready to play

Michael Owen is fit and raring to be involved as Manchester United prepare for one of the biggest months in the club’s history. 

In April, the Reds face four crunch league clashes, an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Manchester City and a two-legged Champions League quarter-final tie against Chelsea. It’s a daunting fixture list and, as striker Owen acknowledges, one that could make or break United’s season.

“It’s exciting to still be involved in three different competitions,” he told ManUtd.com. “We’re top of the league, in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Everything’s in our own hands. We’re in a good position, but we’re also wary that one bad week, let alone a bad month, can ruin our season.

"We’ve got a massive month ahead of us and at the moment we have a chance of winning three trophies. That said, I don’t think anybody here has mentioned the Treble… we’ll just keep going and see where we are at the beginning of May. Maybe then we’ll start to get excited about the possibilities of winning a trophy (or trophies).”

The former Liverpool striker, fit again after suffering a groin injury in training in mid-February, worked throughout the recent international break in an effort to remain sharp. Since the turn of the year, Owen’s featured in just four of United’s 15 matches. But with so many games on the horizon, the 31-year-old is eyeing opportunities at the business end of the season.

“I spent a lot of time training and keeping up my fitness [during the international break]. I did quite a few sessions here at Carrington and then the manager gave us a couple of days off. Even on those days off, though, I kept my fitness ticking over. I’d missed the last few weeks so it was important to do that."
The Reds missed Michael Owen's contribution in the latter half of 2009/10. A hamstring injury in February's Carling Cup final ruled him out until the summer, meaning Sir Alex was without his services as the Reds battled for trophies come April and May.

"Last year was disappointing," Owen admitted. "I was fit for every game we played, bar one, for the first 43 games of the season. Then I missed all the exciting games at the end.

"Hopefully this year it’s the other way around: I’ve had one or two fitness problems in the first half of the season so maybe I’ll get a clean run until the end of May. I’d prefer it that way because this is the time of the season when the prizes are being handed out. This is when you get a real buzz out of playing or coming off the bench.

"I’ve got to be ready to produce the goods if called upon. There are plenty of examples down the years, especially at this club, where major honours have been won by players who have come off the bench. I have to have the belief that at some point over the next few weeks I’ll be called on to score an important goal. And when I am called on I have to be ready."