Michael Owen's admission: I couldn’t wait to retire

By Luke Davies

Alan Shearer has criticised Michael Owen for revealing he “couldn’t wait to retire” during the last few years of his career, which included time spent under Shearer at Newcastle.

Owen scored more than 200 goals in a 17-year club career which began at Liverpool and featured spells with Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United, and Stoke.

He said injuries forced him to change his game and that a fear of sprinting led to him taking up positions on the field where teammates would not play passes which required him to chase.

“I was quick, running in channels, beating people,” Owen, 38, told BT Sport. “That’s who I was — compared to the last six or so years when I turned into the only thing I could. I was petrified of running into a channel. I just knew I was going to tear a muscle. The worst thing about it is your instinct is to do what you have done all your life but you start thinking, ‘Oh no, don’t.’

Overwhelming reaction to this interview. Thanks to @themichaelowen for his disarming honesty tonight. Give this 9 minutes of your evening and a share. Thanks🙌 pic.twitter.com/uzVT1y1Em4

— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) August 25, 2018

For six or seven years I hated it. I couldn’t wait to retire. It wasn’t me. All I was doing is coming short, linking play, and getting in the box. It ended up with people thinking I was a great goalscorer who didn’t do much else. Mentally I could do it, but physically I couldn’t.

Owen was praised in some quarters for being honest about his situation, but Shearer was not so impressed, tweeting: “Not sure @nufc fans, teammates or employers will want to thank him.”

Not sure @nufc fans, teammates or employers will want to thank him. 🤔 https://t.co/cMyqrTvhQp

— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 26, 2018

Shearer was Newcastle’s caretaker manager for the final eight games of the 2008-09 season which ended with the club being relegated from the Premier League.

Owen played in seven of those games without scoring and missed the penultimate game of the season, a 1-0 home defeat to Fulham.

Meanwhile, Everton defender Michael Keane sustained a small hairline fracture of his skull during their match at Bournemouth.

The Toffees confirmed it will be “three to four weeks before the 25-year-old is able to take part in full training.

Keane was carried off on a stretcher in stoppage time of the 2-2 Premier League draw at the Vitality Stadium and taken to hospital following a nasty clash of heads with teammate Idrissa Gueye.

Everton released a statement yesterday saying he had suffered the hairline fracture but “no other complications” and “will be unable to engage in head contact for between three and four weeks, from which point he will be able to resume full training”.

Keane, who had scored his side’s second goal against the Cherries, said: “I’m OK but suffered a small hairline fracture of the skull which will heal itself and means I won’t be able to have any head contact for three to four weeks.”