A former Newcastle United star once labelled his move to the North East as a major regret
Damien Duff, Jose Enrique and Michael Owen were relegated with Newcastle United in May, 2009
Michael Owen endured an injury-hit stint at Newcastle United(Image: PA)
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Michael Owen previously launched an astonishing attack at Newcastle United, admitting signing for the club was among the biggest regrets of his career.
The former England striker had spent just one season at Real Madrid and was hoping for a return to Liverpool after only one year away from Anfield. However, a Merseyside reunion never materialised but a return to the Premier League did eventually come to pass - with the Magpies – who paid a then-record £16.8million for Owen's services.
It was Liverpool legend Graeme Souness who paved the way for Owen to make the switch to the North East but it was a career decision the former Ballon d'Or winner later confessed was a serious mistake.
In his 2019 book 'Reboot', serialised by the Mirror, Owen admitted he had no desire to join the club as he said: "My move to Newcastle was one I really regret - I should have followed my gut instincts from the start. I didn't want to go there - my heart was still set on a return to Liverpool.
"Liverpool couldn't match Newcastle's offer. From a career perspective, there was no doubt in my mind that a move to the North East was a downward step." Earning a substantial £120,000-a-week on a four-year contract, Owen's unveiling was attended by around 20,000 supporters.
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However, the excitement soon faded due to Owen's persistent injuries. He later confessed he didn't care enough to resurrect his relationship with the St James' Park faithful which he realised was beyond repair after re-watching a match on Match of the Day.
He claimed: "I could hear Newcastle fans, my fans, singing 'what a waste of money!' as I'm being stretchered off. "I can't deny their actions that day changed things for me. No longer was I even going to attempt to ingratiate myself with the fans.
Michael Owen and Alan Shearer stand with the ball at their feet
Michael Owen remains an unpopular figure at St James' Park(Image: Getty Images)
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Continuing his incredible broadside against Newcastle fans, he added: "Instead, I flipped it in a slightly more resentful way thinking, I don't need to justify myself to f****** Newcastle fans." Owen targeted the perception amongst Newcastle supporters that they are a "big club", instead arguing their shortage of silverware demonstrates otherwise.
"This kind of blind delusion is especially true of Newcastle United – which, as I reach for the nearest tin hat, is only a big club in the sense that it has a lot of fans and a big stadium," he continued. "They're historically not successful off the pitch, in fact quite the opposite mostly. And they've never really won much on it in recent times."
Newcastle have since won the Carabao Cup and consistently challenged for the Champions League. They will face Barcelona in the last-16 of the competition this season.
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Following four years with the Magpies, Owen made the surprising switch to Old Trafford and secured his sole Premier League title during the 2010/11 campaign. After netting 17 goals in 52 appearances for Man United, Owen concluded his career with a season-long spell at Stoke City but registered just one goal in nine matches across all competitions.
Owen may watch his two former clubs face off on Wednesday as the Magpies welcome the Red Devils, with the home side hoping to buck a trend of five losses in their last six league games.
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