According to reports, Manchester United are set to sign Michael Owen, pending a medical. Here's what our readers think:

"Without question, Owen was one of the best striker in his era. If he will be signed for free, United has nothing to loose. However, if this is a desperate move and Ferguson expects him to replace Ronaldo or Tevez, this is a mistake. Owen certainly is not a ball pursuer like Tevez neither a canon ball shooter like Ronaldo. He will be a cool finisher only when he has the ball at the right time and at the right position. If I were Ferguson, I will sign for Owen but will not commit him to starting line up. He would fire more as he come of the bench. More other players in BPL worth considering." - Anthony, Indonesia

"I have been thinking about this move for the past one month,for me it's the right move, given that Bervatov and Rooney are similar kind of players n if u talk about goal scorers, Macheda is already there, a highly reputed striker was not needed and of course Owen will be desperate to prove his point so i see it as a positve move.It will be beneficial to United for sure. What they need is someone like Ribery. so why not spend 65 million on him?? Even better try to convince Messi, he is the only perfect replacement for Ronaldo and they even play in the same area. Why not pay 70 million for Messi?? You can't get anybody better!" - Prateek, India

"It is the most bizarre news that has filled the anticipated start of Man U’s campaign for this year. I do agree that Owen is a fantastic footballer and he has great instincts. No doubt that this would add great depth to the striking potential that United want. He is a strong player and would be a good contention to Berbatov considering he does not want to run and cover as much ground as Rooney does.

I still however feel it is a bad omen if Owen moves in for the sole reason that United have the striking strength now with Macheda and the other young guns which would underestimate their potential. This amount should be stocked and used to buy back Tevez who would be a strong assist to a laborious Rooney. It just might give Rooney that breathing space that would help him make those great darts that he does.

This seems like a lost cause buying Owen and I feel Fergie needs to concentrate on getting Tevez back. I don’t think Ronaldo will be missed as much as Tevez for the sole reason that Tevez was a player for the team from the word go. Fergie we need Tevez not Owen." - Vivian Lobo

"Absolutely brilliant!! One more master class from fergie. With roon and berba guaranteed first place, we need a striker who would be ready to come off the bench and play once in between and not sulk about it. Owen is that guy. We would not get that from benzema and ageuro who would like to play every game.
Owen's signing reminds me of we signing larrson. The young guns (kiko and danny) would also have a positive influence.
Although I am worried about his injury issues as we don't need a saha. But i think as a free agent, he would be a steal. Season changing signing!! In Fergie we trust." - Suheil Patel, Pune

"Of all people I think Sir Alex is heading for disaster if ever he signs Owen.This is one player who contributed nothing to New Castle and will only occupy a space which will not help ManU at all.It seems Sir Alex or ManU is no longer the first preference for top players........Madrid and Barcelona are.
Maybe its about time to change the Manager!" - Raymond Pek

"Michael Owen is a fine player. Its only that he has not got chance to play in the big clubs recently. He has an instinct of perfect striker and has proved it while in his time at Liverpool. He deserves to play in one of the top fours without question. However i have this feeling that United should bring player of Kareen Benzema stature. A player who can have equal impact on air ball. When you see at current Man Utd squad I don't find taller players at the front. Rooney, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Scholes...all are of the shorter height with exception of Berbatov who somehow match the front players of other clubs. And now adding Owen to Striker's role makes the front holders less effective to header goals. If i have to remember the previous season, about 80 percent of the header goals were from Defenders and Christiano Ronaldo. Therefore i would opt for someone who has a good height to blow the goal net with powerful header. This is one area where sir Alex should give a serious thought. And who can guarantee that Owen's long lasting injury woes wont follow him to Old Trafford?" - Sashi, Bhutan

“The news that Owen might move to Man United is actually quite shocking for me. Owen, as many of us know, is a class player and it is true that he deserves to play top flight football. But, I somehow do not think that Manchester United is the right choice for him. I don't know whether it is the right choice for Man United either because i am not a big fan of theirs. Despite the fact that Ronaldo has moved to Real and Tevez to Man City, Ferguson is looking to fill to fill that void, i doubt it that Owen will get many chances to play. United have players like Rooney, Nani, Park, Berbatov, the newly signed Valencia and Macheda. And to top it, I just cannot imagine Michael Owen in a Man United jersey, it somehow doesn't match. “ - Karthik

"Michael Owen is a right signing for Manchester United. We should not forget his contribution for England and a club like Liverpool. He deserves playing in a top flight, in a team like Manchester United. He could not do much in Real Madrid because he was not provided chance ahead of other 'so called superstars'. His finishing skills is what ManU is looking for in the absence of Ronaldo and Tevez. This was in my mind a lot before, why is ManU not signing Michael Owen. Talking about his recent form, come one, you can not do much alone. You need support from the team to show your potential. Newcastle United deserves to be relegated (after Alan Shearer's reign) but not a player like Owen." - Sumit Shah, Nepal

"Owen is now a free agent, he always deserves to play in the top clubs.. Never Mind he has been injured for quite a long but player like owen can also be in top form again. i ve watched owen since my early days in life... i still remember commenter commenting as "every thing he touches turns into GOAL". He is kind of striker that people should not look down on him ... he has all that ability that Tevez posses... so why is Man Utd delaying in signing him." - Ugyen Shakam, Bhutan.

"This is actually good news. Ok lets accept the facts that he hasn't performed well in the past few years, Louis Saha may look to be fitter than him in terms of training ground injuries etc etc.
 
But look at the other side. He's coming for free!!!. he would have no qualms about being used as a striker coming off the bench. This would be a new lease of life for him, and this might just inspire him to become the Owen of the Liverpool days. And if your worried that he'd get injured, im sure United have the money to cover that. Above all, in SAF we trust." - Nirmal Sekhar, India

"I am a Fan of Manchester United for so long. The problem with Carlos Tevez was that he wanted to play first eleven football. But Sir Alex was in real problem picking up Tevez over Bervatov. And Rooney who have been hoping to play central role for last 2 season could not even think about the central role because of the other heavy weights in the team.

"So I think Michael Owen will be a perfect option if Sir Alex want to carry on with his previus idea of playing Bervatov in fisrt Eleven and Rooney in central role. Obviuly signing Michael Owen will make the job easy for Sir Alex. Which even would not be easy if Karim Benzima came. The only concern is Michael Owen's injuries. But still he is good striker specially he can be used as substitution.But still i have faith on Sir Alex.  As a fan I really want another midfilder and a fast left winger. Hope for the perfect season of 2009-10." - Shiraz Khan, Dhaka, Bangladesh

"Micheal Owen, is a top flight player, during his youth years he is matched with Emile Heskey to play for England. He even had the experience of playing in the Premier League and Spanish League with Real. However, due to his current injury record, his fitness level is declining. That is what stop him from perfoming at his best. He was even not representing for England currently. Ferguson can bring in Owen to Old Trafford. But it could be both blessing and  curse. With his experience, he could guide the young strikers and pair with his English team-mates Rooney. Owen can both be a forward and Second Striker. In fact, he could be a legend at Old Trafford replacing O.G. Solskjaer or Teddy Sheringham. But only time will tell. But with his injury, Ferguson only making a gamble for signing on this player. I suggest Ferguson to sign Owen only as a last resort. In summary United should focus more on Midfield and Defender as players like Giggs, Scholes and Neville are retiring. “ - Caine Ridhwan

“In my opinion, Manchester United should put their hearts out to try and persuade at least either Franck Ribery, Van Der Vaart or Arjen Robben to fill in the gap left by Ronaldo and Tevez. But talking about Owen, with all due respect, I don't think Manchester United should sign Owen. Due to his long injury hit-list, I don't think he can play much part in Manchester United. Maybe Costa is more of Manchester United type because of club principle of buying young player and nurture them to become the best player; like Beckham and Ronaldo. If they really do want to sign Owen, I just have to keep my faith to Alex Ferguson. I think he knows what he's doing.” - Khairil Hafizi Bin Khairi Thaw, Malaysia.

“Owen will be a huge addition to the Manchester United. No doubt he is prone to injuries but with Rooney, Berbatov and youngsters like Macheda and Wwelbeck to support them, all United need is an impact player and not a full time player. Macheda and Welbeck have shown promises that they can improve a lot if they are exposed frequently at higher level. Of course Owen can give competition to Berbatov. Owen has been a proven goal-scorer at the highest level and should grab this opportunity if it is given to him.” - Vishnu

“Owen was one of the best strikers in the world but currently he is fighting to get fit from his injuries. If Sir Alex wants to bring him to Old Trafford, he must have plans for him. There are two players who crossed my mind to be Rooney’s partner other than Owen. One of them is Rodrigo Palacio. He is as hard working as Tevez and he can play as right/left winger, same place as Ronaldo. He also has 2nd nationality, an Italian passport so MU doesn’t have to apply for work permit. Another person is Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Real doesn’t need his service next season due to Benzema’s arrival, so maybe Sir Alex can get him for a discount price. I personally prefer those two persons I mentioned to be MU player rather than Owen.” - Faizal

“Being a MAN UTD fan I’m not in the best of spirits right now. But this owen rumour has suddenly lit me up! Firstly, Owen is an undoubted legend. Secondly, he is coming for free! He still has 3 yrs left and can surely help us. Also,aren’t we ppl forgetting about Cassano? Now please don’t tell me about his temperament because I think there was a guy just like him before joining United and his name was Cantona.” - Saurabh Pol

“I think this will be a very good move both for the club and the player. With the new Champions League rule of 8 homegrown players, Manchester United will have an advantage playing a player like Michael Owen instead of a youngster. Personally speaking Owen is my favourite player and Liverpool my favourite club. But till the time Benitez is there in Liverpool, I don’t think there is a possibility of Owen coming back to Liverpool. Even Man Utd will benefit from the arrival of a player like Owen who is a very good finisher and with the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez, Owen should also get regular starts.”  - Vishal Jain, Kolkata, India

“Owen is a player with full of potential. He is a good striker. The only problem is regarding the injuries.He is the only player to ever have scored in four major tournaments for England. I think Sir Alex has some plans with Owen. I am certainly sure if this transfer is going to happen then it will be a big turnaround for Owen.” - Rajeev.N

"Why don't they try to bring in Obafemi Martins who wouldn't cost much and has age on his side too. Besides they should keep Manucho and bring in a quality playmaker...Van Vaart or David Silva if they can't put a substantial bid for Ribery." - Gourab

"I do think that United are the victim of their own success. People think time has passed again and again for United but for the last couple of seasons it has been amazing. (But now) Players are willing to take a chance at Real because of their longstanding history, not in particular recent performance, but is a good deal when Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema and a lot more are in the side.

On the Owen side of the story, life has been hard. Flops for a number of clubs and for the country. But let this not go to your mind, this is the same kid that overhauled Liverpool FC. But now the Red at heart has agreed upon trying for the Red Devils. A step forward? Who knows. Certainly trying anything at this point to be considered a player of present, not past. And perhaps, just perhaps, be eligible once more to at least sit on the bench for 2010 WC. Take your last shot Mike, or like the late Michael Jackson concert theme, This Is It." - Michael Tauladan

"Being a strong supporter of Man Utd since childhood, this is one move I sincerely hope doesn’t go through.. I strongly respect owen and his achievements but with his current injury record and form is not what we need. At the moment we need someone who can play at least half as good as CR, if not gel into the team and support Rooney and berba… is Owen that player??  I certainly don’t think so." - Dhiraj Dharmarajan, Australia

"If Ferguson is serious about bringing Owen at Old Trafford, then he knows he is taking a gamble. He wants a player with plenty of experience, particularly in the Premier League. Owen is a first class player, nobody doubts his talent, but he has been criticised a lot due to his fitness. At Man United, maybe he'll change and show what he is really capable of, through hardwork and lot of physical training as Ferguson takes out the best in players. Who knows, maybe Micheal Owen is supposed to be a United legend !!!" - Utshav Shrestha

"I always have the thought that why shouldn't Man Utd sign Owen? Yes, he used to be a Liverpool player but that was the past, a history. Yes, his injuries record may put a dent to his ability to play at the highest level. But I believe, Manchester United is what Owen needs to rejuvenate his career and I believe Sir Alex can bring the best out of him." - Robert Goh Swee Hua

"Owen is a legend and a hero for Liverpool fans! But he is no Robbie Fowler, he cannot make a return like Fowler did. I do not doubt his talent, it's just the injuries that he have. I still have loads of respect for Sir Alex Ferguson and if he thinks Owen is the man for Man Utd then he must have a plan for Owen!" - Numair Jafri, Pakistan

"As you can see that no one is really willing to come to Manchester united. First of all it's because of Real Madrid. They are buying every player on this face of earth. Owen is talented and with good speed. But his injury issues are too much. He is injured half of the season without fail. Manchester United should look for more players. As a bench player he'll be a good, but on a regular basis, United cannot rely on him. Berbatov was suppose to be a good signing but he failed because he's too lazy and he doesn't have speed. Karim Benzema was a good substitute for Ronaldo but as you guys know REAL are going crazy. I don't have any player in mind who can fit in that position because if I suggest one. Real Madrid would go for it. Small advise for United. DON'T TELL ANYONE! - Danyal Khanzada, Karachi, Pakistan

"Whether the bookies and fans like it or not, I believe Owen deserves to play in top flight for at least a couple of seasons and win the league title. He has always been a first class player and he deserves it. I fully support Owen moving to Man U." - Lagan Tamrakar