Michael Owen has expressed his surprise that Manchester United did not consider a move for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Leeds forward caught the eye of the former England striker with a stunning display against Newcastle.
Calvert-Lewin found the net in Leeds' convincing 4-1 victory over Newcastle, receiving a rapturous applause from the home fans as he was substituted. The 29-year-old striker enjoyed a fruitful season last year, scoring 15 goals across all competitions and, for the first time in a while, managing to avoid serious injury woes.
Owen commented:
He has always struggled with injuries, but when he's fit, he's incredibly difficult to handle. Given the shortage of central strikers in recent years, I thought that with all due respect to Leeds, someone from a bigger club would take a risk and bring him in, if only as a second striker.
Perhaps even Manchester United. Several clubs showed interest, but it was Leeds who made the definitive move to sign him, and he has repaid them with his performances.
Owen particularly highlighted Calvert-Lewin’s newfound stability after a few seasons plagued by injuries:
Clearly, Leeds have found a way to keep him in top condition. He plays practically every match now, which wasn’t the case before. The last few years have been tough for him, but now it’s a different story: he’s playing consistently and looking dangerous.
Manchester United splashed £74 million on Benjamin Sesko last summer. When the Slovenian isn’t in the starting line-up, Michael Carrick often deploys Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo in the central striker role.
