I’m a Liverpool legend who joined Man Utd – they signed Ngog when I wanted return

LIVERPOOL legend Michael Owen wanted to return to Anfield in 2009 but joined fierce rivals Manchester United instead.

The Balloon d’Or winner came through the ranks at the Reds and had a glittering eight years in the first team.

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Owen, 44, left Liverpool in 2004 to sign for La Liga giants Real Madrid.

But after just one season at the Bernabeu, he returned to the Premier League with Newcastle.

The former forward had an injury-hit four seasons at the Magpies and when his contract expired in 2009 he set sights on a return to Anfield.

However, the Reds did not want him back as they signed David N’Gog a year prior meaning Owen made a controversial move to rivals Man Utd.

He signed a two-year deal at United under Sir Alex Ferguson who hailed Owen as a “world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level”.

In 2020, Owen told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I was leaving Newcastle and the first thing I did was phone Carra [Jamie Carragher] and said ‘speak to Rafa Benitez’.

“Carra got back to me and said ‘no, he’s about to sign someone’. I think it was David N’Gog, but he had already had some great players in the team and basically, they didn’t need another centre-forward.

“My agent then spoke to virtually every club on the planet to see who was interested and the options were Hull City, Everton and Manchester United.

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“You can imagine my thought process go to Everton, get hated, go to Man United and get hated as well.

“As soon as I heard United were in for me I thought, obviously first choice would be Liverpool and to go back there but if Liverpool aren’t going to want me and these are all my options then wow.

“Manchester United in the Champions League, I don’t have to move, I know loads of the lads. It was a brilliant move.

“I couldn’t believe my luck when United came in for me. Here’s me, regressing as a player in my own mind and still the champions of England wanted to sign me. I was absolutely buzzing when they wanted me.”

Owen made 52 appearances for the Red Devils and scored 17 goals during his three years at Old Trafford, as well as winning his only Premier League title.

The ex-England striker then spent one term at Stoke before hanging up his boots in 2013.

In the most recent episode of The Overlap Jamie Carragher brought up Owen wanting to return to Anfield and he said: “I’m aware of the situation when he went to Man Utd.

“He wanted to come back to Liverpool.”

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