Man Utd call handed Stoke City golden transfer chance - It was a waste of time though | OneFootball

Michael Owen signed for Stoke on a free transfer from Man Utd in September 2012.

Michael Owen signed for Stoke City in the summer of 2012. However, the move never materialised into what had initially been hoped.

It would be fair to suggest that Owen's time at the Britannia Stadium (bet365 Stadium) was a failure, given his illustrious career prior to the move.

At 17-years-old, the Englishman burst onto the scene with Liverpool, scoring on his debut for the club, and was largely rated as the most promising young striker in the country at the time, which did not go without merit.

He earned his first England cap aged 18, becoming the youngest player to represent the Three Lions in the 20th century, and won the Premier League golden boot in his first two full seasons in the top flight.

On top of that, he would win the Ballon d'Or in 2001, becoming the second-youngest player to do so behind Ronaldo Nazario, and would go on to score 158 goals and assist a further 51 times in 297 appearances for Liverpool before earning a move to Real Madrid during their Galactico era.

Owen spent a single season in the Spanish capital before returning to England with Newcastle United and then Man United, where his career had slowly dwindled despite being still only 32.

He was released by the Red Devils after three years, when Stoke offered him the chance to revitalise his career.

Michael Owen's move to Stoke City proved to be forgettable

In September 2012, Owen signed for Stoke on a one-year deal under then-manager Tony Pulis.

The forward joined the Potters ranks and had to compete with the likes of Peter Crouch, Kenwyne Jones, Jonathan Walters and Cameron Jerome for a place in the squad; from the get-go, life in the Potteries wasn't made simple.

During his year stint in Stafforshire, Owen made just eight appearances for the club in the Premier League, each one as a substitute, where he made little impact.

The Englishman did score once for the club with a late consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat away to Swansea City, which in turn meant he became only the seventh player to score 150 goals in the Premier League.

That was about as exciting as it got for Owen at Stoke, as he would play just three more times for the club before his final appearance in professional football, a 1-1 draw away to Southampton, where he received a standing ovation from both sets of fans.

Michael Owen spent just one season at Stoke City before retiring

Owen's solitary season at Stoke was ultimately forgettable and probably regrettable by everyone involved.

For both Newcastle and Man United, he looked a shadow of the player he once was that won the Ballon d'Or, and nothing changed during his time at Stoke.

Upon the expiry of his deal with the Potters, Owen retired from professional football, having registered over 200 goals and assists in over 360 appearances across his career, including in competitions such as the Premier League, La Liga and the Champions League.

He was also capped 89 times by England, scoring 40 goals for the Three Lions, putting him sixth in the current England top goalscorer rankings.

Fortunately for Owen, his time at Stoke was so forgettable that he will be remembered as the teenager that tore defences apart across the world in a career that shone so bright, but burnt too soon, rather than his time in the red and white of the Potters.