Owen prepares for life after football – does he have an England future?

November 28, 2008

Newcastle and England striker Michael Owen has begun his coaching qualifications as he starts to look at what he might do when his playing career ends. Although he is unsure about a career in management as yet, he is taking the necessary precautions should that be his decided path.

Now, this is all well and good. I am pleased that Owen enjoys being involved in football so much that he would like to prolong his involvement in the sport. However, what this Owen story does is highlight the fact that the one-time golden boy of English football is no more.

By deciding to prepare for life beyond football, it has to be questioned whether he has started to give up on his international career with England. This is probably not the case, but it does beg the question – when will he get involved with the national team again?

Owen hasn’t played under Fabio Capello since the friendly defeat to France in March and many people have even suggested that there isn’t a way back for him as the team attempt to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Gabriel Agbonlahor, Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Defoe and Darren Bent all seem to be above Owen in the pecking order, after all.

Maybe the Newcastle man has thought about what his future holds and then come to the conclusion that he needs to prepare for his next career. I’m sure he still has ambitions to represent England again, but with every squad he misses out on – this is looking further and further away.

My personal opinion on this is that he should be involved when he is fit. Even if not totally match-fit, he can give England something extra. Whether it be from the bench, or from the start – he can provide goals. He hasn’t scored 40 goals for his country without being a goal threat.

Owen is a determined character though and I’m sure scoring goals for Newcastle remains his priority over preparing to become a coach. Should he continue to do this over the Christmas period for Joe Kinnear, the football odds may well favour an England return for him in the New Year. Then, his priority will shift towards being on the plane to South Africa in 2010.

By Thomas Rooney – A sports writer who blogs about football betting

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.