Carragher: Owen return is no distraction

Jamie Carragher insists the Michael Owen factor should not distract Liverpool from the task of beating Newcastle on St Stephen's Day.

The centre-back was speaking ahead of Owen’s first return to Anfield since his £8m (€11.8m) move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2004.

Owen, who transferred to Newcastle in the summer, will line up against his pal Carragher when Liverpool host the Magpies next Monday.

Carragher said: “It’s not about just Michael. Hopefully he’ll get a good reception because he deserves that, he was a great player for the club.

“But we’ve moved on and Michael’s moved on. I know people will make a lot about his return but he doesn’t play for Liverpool.

“He’s just the same as any other player. We won’t be changing our game to play against Michael.

“He’s my mate and it’s nice to see him doing well. But the main thing is Liverpool, we want to win and hopefully we will.”

Newcastle forked out a club record £16m (€23.5m) to end Owen’s Spanish sojourn, even though the England marksman had expressed a desire to return to Anfield.

A deal could not be agreed between the Reds and Madrid after a reluctance on the Merseysiders’ part to pay double what they had received 12 months previously.

Rumours at the time suggested Carragher was trying to persuade Liverpool to bring his friend home, something he now rejects.

“There was a bit of talk in the summer but it was nothing to do with me. I’m a player. Players play and managers manage. It was up to the manager,” he said.

“We’ve got strikers here anyway. Just playing for Liverpool is all I’m bothered about.”

The two were very close during Owen’s Anfield career, having come through the academy together and been part of the cup treble-winning side of 2001.

Carragher admits they still chat regularly and the pair even spoke on the eve of the Club World Championship final, which Liverpool lost 1-0 to Sao Paulo.

He added: “I spoke to him on Saturday after he scored his hat-trick [against West Ham].

“I speak to him a couple of times a week about how it’s going up there, how they’re playing, what he’s up to and I’ll probably give him a bell before the game.”

With the arduous trip to Japan out of the way, it is back to domestic business for Liverpool and Carragher is adamant a title tilt is not wishful thinking given the Reds’ current form.

“We’re definitely not down [after the Sao Paulo defeat] because we’re doing well at the moment,” he added.

“We want to challenge Chelsea. Manchester United have won a couple of games while we’ve been away and moved into second place.

“The aim at the start of the season was to try to push as close for the title as possible. There’s still a long way to go and hopefully we can do that.”