Manchester United's forgotten man Michael Owen takes chance to give Sir Alex Ferguson food for thought

At 31, he is seldom entrusted by Sir Alex Ferguson with a starting position, but seized upon a rare chance at Southampton with a goal to remind his manager why Manchester United snaffled him in the first place.

At a time when Dimitar Berbatov is making hat-tricks appear little more than lazy party pieces, and when Wayne Rooney resembles a husk of the striker who could score 34 goals in a season, Owen provides the perfect fallback option. The former England forward harnessed all his predatory skills in the teeth of Southampton’s resistance, supplying a fine headed equaliser and redoubling United’s efforts to force the winner.

Owen has had four months in which to dwell upon his peripheral status in United’s squad, conscious that the last game he started was against Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup in September.

On that occasion, he proved inspirational, too, scoring twice. The temptation is to conclude that this tireless workhorse is at his best in lesser cup ties, his gifts thrown into sharp relief against fragile opposition, but he suspects he could still prove his detractors wrong.

“I am old enough and wise enough to know the manager’s problems and the number of players he has to keep happy,” Owen said.

“You could say the same for a dozen players in the squad. The hard bit is when you are asked, and your opportunities have been few and far between, because you really have to play well. But I performed. It takes the pressure off a little bit.”

Ferguson’s priority is not so much to sustain an ageing star like Owen as to blood Javier Hernández in the side, especially after the Mexican contributed another polished finish here, somehow finding the net while in the motion of falling over.

But one wonders if Owen, having shaken off the injury afflictions that have disfigured his record at United, could yet establish himself among the Ferguson favourites.

Berbatov looks unassailable but Rooney, struggling for confidence with a wretchedness seldom fully acknowledged, is suddenly vulnerable. One would hardly dare whisper it in Ferguson’s presence but “the boy”, the talent he helped keep at Old Trafford to the tune of £200,000 a week, has contributed just two goals since those unseemly transfer machinations two months ago.

Over to Ferguson, then, who must rearrange his forward line once more for the Premier League visit of Aston Villa on Tuesday night. There was no hint that Owen could enjoy a late-season run of games, but the Scot lavished praise upon his influential south-coast performance.

“Owen did a great job just dropping back in the hole behind the strikers to give us support in there,” said Ferguson, who seemed more interested in the flourishes from Hernández. “He had one chance and scored one goal: a tremendous ratio.

“He is always on the move. He has great feet in and around the box and gets his shots away quickly. We know he is going to improve.”

By his speed and silky first-touch play, Hernández, at 22, contrived to eclipse even so celebrated a youngster as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The 17 year-old, whose signature United continue to crave, chose bright orange boots for this encounter with his would-be suitors — even if his display with the ball was not quite so luminous.

Nigel Adkins, the Southampton manager, was sanguine in defeat reinforced by his club’s determination to keep their most coveted asset. “He’s 17 and you have to allow that flair to flourish,” he said.

“He’s a quiet lad but he feels comfortable in the group. I’ve sat down and we’ve had a walk around the training ground and talked about different scenarios.”Whether one such scenario involved the teenager forsaking his roots for the United red, he would not say.

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Edwin Van der Sar's retirement puts Manchester United's spotlight on Manuel Neuer and Maarten Stekelenburg

Atlético Madrid’s David de Gea is also under consideration at Old Trafford, but Neuer and Stekelenburg have emerged as the favoured targets following an 18-month search for a successor. Van der Sar’s announcement on Thursday, combined with former United captain Gary Neville’s expected exit this summer, leaves manager Sir Alex Ferguson facing the loss of two of his senior figures.

Manchester United have already made plans to ensure that replacing Van der Sar proves less traumatic than their six-year search for a successor for Peter Schmeichel – eventually solved by the Dutchman’s arrival from Fulham in June 2005.

Eric Steele, United’s goalkeeping coach, said: “The question is: can we get somebody to replace Edwin van der Sar? We could do it internally, but we have looked at the best targets and we now have a nice one, two and three who we think can fill the job.

“Edwin is going to be a very difficult man to replace. I think that penalty save against Chelsea in Moscow in 2008 [in the Champions League final] has elevated him alongside Peter Schmeichel, and that is some achievement.”

Van der Sar’s age, combined with the stroke suffered by his wife, Annemarie, in December 2009, had left Ferguson acutely aware that a new goalkeeper would become a priority this summer.

And the club have undertaken a series of scouting trips in recent months, with Lyon’s Hugo Lloris, CSKA Moscow’s Igor Akinfeev, Rene Adler, of Bayer Leverkusen, and Liverpool’s Pepe Reina all coming under scrutiny.

Schalke goalkeeper Neuer and Ajax’s Stekelenburg are now understood to be Ferguson’s prime targets.

Both possess the top-level experience demanded by the United manager, both speak English and, crucially, the two keepers will both enter the final year of their club contracts this summer, therefore reducing their transfer valuations.

Bayern Munich’s interest in Neuer could complicate matters for United, but Stekelenburg has already made it clear that he will not extend his contract at Ajax.

De Gea is regarded as a potential successor to the likes of Schmeichel and Van der Sar as one of the world’s best goalkeepers. But concerns over the 20 year-old’s inexperience and Atletico’s £20 million-plus asking price have pushed the Spain U-21 keeper behind Neuer and Stekelenburg.

United’s long-term interest in Lloris, France’s World Cup goalkeeper, has waned because of concerns over Lyon’s willingness to do business.

Ferguson has admitted in the past that the stubbornness of Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has prevented deals for Michael Essien and Karim Benzema and, with 2½ years remaining on his contract at the club, any move for Lloris could prove expensive.

Steele has admitted that Anders Lindegaard’s arrival from Aalesunds was merely a move by United to replace Ben Foster, who was sold to Birmingham last summer.

Lindegaard is in line to make his United debut in tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Southampton because Van der Sar has a slight knock.

But despite his predecessor, Schmeichel, insisting on Twitter yesterday that Van der Sar is still playing too well to retire, the former Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Holland keeper insists that the time is right.

“It’s been coming for a while,” Van der Sar said. “After playing for so many years, you reach a point where you have to make a decision.

“There are a couple of things to consider — whether you still have an appetite for it and your family. You have to look at yourself also. You have to ask if you can bring that top level of performance that you need at United.

“At the moment I am quite happy with my form and my achievements on the pitch. I just want to keep that on a high level, but you can’t play Superman into your forties. “It’s a mutual decision that this season was the last.”

Van der Sar admits he shares Ferguson’s regret that he did not arrive at Old Trafford following Schmeichel’s exit in 1999. “I’ve enjoyed it here and it would have been nice to have a few years longer here,” he said.

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Dimitar Berbatov finally begins to make sense for Manchester United

Dimitar Berbatov seldom looks like a man in a hurry, but he has set the sort of pace that will take Manchester United five points clear in the Premier League if they beat Blackpool tonight. The Bulgarian has scored 17 times this season. More importantly still, he has done so at a time when Wayne Rooney has one goal in open play for the club.

By keeping the side buoyant, Berbatov has ensured that the dry spell for his team-mate is more curiosity than crisis. Rooney, so deeply involved in the 5-0 defeat of Birmingham City at the weekend, might just have rediscovered his true self before coming under great pressure. The purchase of Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur for £30.75m in 2008 looks as if it is making a little more sense.

His imagination and beautiful touch are assets any manager would covet, yet he breaches the sort of policy that now applies at Old Trafford. There is little, if any, money to be recouped on a player who had turned 28 before the end of his first season with United. It is odd now to think, too, that Sir Alex Ferguson was being asked last summer if he would off-load Berbatov. "No, no definitely not," said the manager. "He's a fantastic player."

And so he is, in many respects. There are too few performers in an era of hyper-energy who can still be called elegant, but the idea that Berbatov could be sold was not eccentric. He scored the moderate total of 26 goals over the course of his first two seasons. In the present campaign he has been on a spree, but there are some curious aspects to it. Any United forward would expect to do better at Old Trafford, but Berbatov is heavily dependant on home advantage. Fifteen of the 17 goals have come there, with eight of them in the matches against Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham.

He was not simply gorging himself since one of his three hat-tricks overcame Liverpool, who had levelled from 2-0 down. Berbatov is entitled to feel that he also has the attributes of a classic No10 who can prise open any defence. In at least one respect, however, the reliance on Berbatov is risky.

Common sense would suggest that the Champions League is his natural habitat since he is, after all, a smooth and cerebral figure, but the facts firmly oppose that view.

Berbatov has been unable to score in that competition since availing himself of a couple of goals during a 3-0 away victory over Aalborg in September 2008. It would be understandable if he were named among the substitutes when United meet Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome on 23 February. In the club's last outing in the knock-out phase of the Champions League, Berbatov did not start in either leg of the quarter-final with Bayern Munich.

He was introduced purely as an emergency measure at Old Trafford when Arjen Robben had trimmed United's lead to set up his team's victory in the tie on the away goals rule. Berbatov's role on such nights is also dictated by the virtually universal doctrine that there should be no more than one forward in the lineup for a key fixture. He lacks the vigour to clinch that role.

Berbatov's main contribution could be to have bought Rooney some time. It is uncanny that Ferguson has contrived to put United in such a good position this season. They are the joint-highest scorers, with Arsenal, in the Premier League, yet the main impression is of durability. They have had two away games against the other members of the current top five, taking goalless draws with no difficulty at Manchester City and Tottenham.

The Champions League, however, will demand expansiveness. Irrespective of Berbatov and the predatory promise of Javier Hernandez, it is essential that Rooney regains the old boldness in full. There were good reasons for him to recede considering the injuries that afflicted him throughout 2010. Ankle trouble has verged on the incessant and Rooney has started just 11 of United's 22 Premier League games this season.

Berbatov has covered well indeed for both the striker's absences and the tentativeness that has beset the England player when he is on the pitch, but that will not suffice for much longer. If United are to touch the higher level that will be essential in the Champions League, they must see Rooney become his old intuitive self again in the next month or two.

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Manchester United v Birmingham City: match preview

But at Old Trafford they have taken 31 points from a possible 33. United have not lost in the Premier League since April – a total of 26 games – since Chelsea left with all three points. They also have 29 goals at Old Trafford, the most by any Premier League team at home. And Birmingham arrive, for their 250th Premier League game, with just one win and eight points from 10 away games this season.

The record between these teams suggests there can be only one winner. Birmingham have never beaten United in the Premier League, in 13 attempts. In those games, at old Trafford and St Andrew’s, United have won 10 and drawn three. Overall, United’s unbeaten run against City extends to 23 games.

In those games, United have won 16, drawn seven and have taken 55 points from a possible 69, scoring 35 goals and conceding just nine. Birmingham last beat United in November 1978, when they beat them 5-1 at home. They last won at Old Trafford in January 1978.

United miss Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Owen Hargreaves (hamstring) while Rafael Da Silva is suspended and Park Ji-Sung is at the Asian Cup with South Korea. Birmingham miss James McFadden and Scott Dann.

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Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur in Review

Another solid but underwhelming performance by Manchester United. And another solid but not-quite-enough performance by Tottenham Hotspur. Combine the two and you get a couple of questions. Will Man U ever lose this season? And are Spurs really ready to challenge for the title?

It’s becoming more and more clear that the answer to both of those questions might be ‘No.’ Man U have now played 21 games, and though they’ve only won 12 of them, they still haven’t lost. There have been several occasions where they looked ripe for a defeat, but their nine draws show they’re difficult to put away. Only 17 matches separate them and 2003-04 Arsenal.

Sunday was a perfect example of United’s toughness. When Rafael was sent off in the 74th minute — a ridiculous decision — it looked like the unbeaten run was finally about to fall. But Spurs couldn’t find the net, and only threatened a couple of times. As they have all season, United showed how difficult they are to break down.

As for Spurs, it’s another opportunity lost. A draw against the champions-elect is nothing to be ashamed of, but three points were there for the taking. With 16 matches to go, they’re 8 points off the pace. Winning the league is probably out of the question, but fighting Chelsea for fourth place — and a Champions League qualifying spot — is definitely not.

That should be Spurs’ top priority now.

HOWARD MEGDAL: Not only did the 0-0 draw with Manchester United feel like a lost opportunity for Spurs, it is safe to wonder when they will receive a better opportunity.

Not only did Tottenham enjoy the greater number of opportunities and overall possession, the send-off of Rafael- like Mike said, a ludicrous decision- put Man United at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. More importantly, however, Rafael had been a force over the initial 74 minutes- easily the best Man United player on the day.

Still, with Gareth Bale a non-factor- United did a splendid job corralling him with a pair of defenders at all times- and Peter Crouch largely silenced in the second half, it came to Rafael Van Der Vaart to make a play. But on this day, he wasn’t up to it.

Obviously, the significantly stouter Spurs defense is good news, with Jermain Defoe getting healthier by the day, Steven Pienaar about to join the club, and additional help possibly on the way. But right now it feels like this draw, and the one earlier this year against Chelsea, are the matches that best represented Tottenham’s chance to notch a domestic win on par with the 3-1 triumph in San Siro. Of course, the losses to West Ham and WBA are probably as much to blame for the fourth-place dreams the team ought to have now.

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Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov sets sights on Golden Boot

Dimitar Berbatov is keen to secure the Premier League's Golden Boot this season – if only because it will give Manchester United a better chance of reclaiming their title.

Although United have won 11 championships since the Premier League was formed in 1992, only three of their players – Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo – have finished the season as leading goalscorer.

Berbatov currently stands on 14 for the season – the same number as Manchester City's Carlos Tevez – and he admits remaining at the top of the pile is a personal target. "I hope I can stay on the top until the end of the season," he told MUTV. "Obviously the goals I score help the team to win points, which is the most important thing.

"For now everything is going according to plan but there are other players doing well, and not just Carlos Tevez. It is a good competition but when you are at the top, you always look back to see who is coming behind you."

Berbatov also paid tribute to his Manchester United colleague Javier Hernández, who has scored six league goals this season following his transfer from Guadalajara last summer.

"Every time when he goes onto the pitch, the only thing in Javier's mind is to score goals," Berbatov said. "He is trouble for defenders. Everybody knows he is very quick. If you give him space and time he is very dangerous.

"He has done really well and the future is ahead of him because he is still young. I have seen the way he works in practice and after that in the gym. If he keeps going like that he has a great future."

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