Make your own mind up.
The Guardian reports:
‘At first, it all seemed a bit unusual. An Australian cricket coach revealing Sir Alex Ferguson's deepest thoughts on Michael Owen? But when it emerges that John Buchanan was in Manchester before the third Ashes Test at the cricket version of Old Trafford and had just toured United's training facilities, the picture becomes a little clearer. And all the more intriguing.
‘"He talked a little bit about Michael Owen and he doesn't really see his style of play fitting in with Man United, and that's one of the reasons they're not going for him," Buchanan revealed yesterday, in the kind of scoop that might have a few newspapers beating down his door with freelance offers.
‘"There was an interesting article in the paper ... about those types of players who, when they look back on their career, haven't really given themselves the opportunity to play as much football as they could have done, simply because of where they've positioned themselves at various clubs.
‘"He feels that he could drop his price or at least make sure that he just gets out and plays rather than sitting, as he is, as a fifth-choice striker at Real Madrid."’