Owen 'happy' at Newcastle
Newcastle striker Michael Owen has laughed off Steven Gerrard’s pleas for him to 'come home'.
The 26-year-old, who became the Magpies’ record signing when he completed a £17m move from Real Madrid last summer, has been touted as a possible target for former club Liverpool and Manchester United.
Gerrard added to the debate at the weekend when he admitted he would love to see his England team-mate back at Anfield, although Owen has played down his comments.
“Stevie has said they need a striker, or that they need to score more goals,” he said.
“He’s a good friend of mine, so I’d expect him to say ‘Michael Owen’s a good player’ because I’d say the same about him.
“It’s nice of him to say what he thinks of me, but someone else makes those decisions.
“I’m happy here, as I’ve always said. I made a decision last summer to come here and I’ve loved every minute since.”
Newcastle will be desperate to hang on to Owen with skipper Alan Shearer retiring at the end of the season, and it is not difficult to see why.
He has scored seven goals in 10 starts for the club, but has been out of action since December after fracturing a metatarsal against Tottenham.
“Thankfully when I have played, we have managed to get some points and I have managed to get some goals,” he told the club’s official website, www.nufc.co.uk.
“I’d be feeling pretty awful if that hadn’t been the case and I’d played nine or 10 games and nothing had happened when I had played.
“That’s the only softening of the blow. But the rest of it is not. I’m disappointed that I haven’t played as much, but not long now and I’ll be playing again.
“Hopefully, it’s only a short period of time and I’ll be back out there in the black and white.”
Owen is hopeful of returning early next month and is unlikely to be ready for the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Chelsea on March 22.
