Owen out to reward Ferguson's faith

Manchester United striker Michael Owen insists he has nothing to prove - but believes recent critics Sam Allardyce and Dave Whelan may end up "embarrassed" about snubbing him publicly.

The former Liverpool forward was left kicking his heels for a while this summer after leaving Newcastle and appeared likely to end up at Hull or Stoke until Sir Alex Ferguson took him to Old Trafford. Blackburn boss Allardyce and Wigan owner Whelan distanced themselves from a move for the England striker - and Owen, 29, believes they will realise they were wrong.

"If that was how they were perceiving me, fine, because the greatest accolade I could have is that Sir Alex Ferguson didn't think about that," Owen told FourFourTwo magazine.

"I can quietly sit here and and look around where I am now - and if anyone else wants to look at what they've said, then they might feel embarrassed. I don't feel I have to impress these people.

"I only need to prove things to people who believe in me. I want to show Sir Alex was right to believe in me."

Owen is unfazed about the challenge of filling the gap left by the departures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"The team has lost two players - Tevez, who scored a few, and Ronaldo who got lots over the last two seasons," he said.

"There's a big hole to fill, and I hope I can help plug it in terms of goals. I can't do it on my own - but I will help out.

"When you sign for United you get excited about a lot of things. One of them, I hope, is scoring a lot of goals - because I am going to get a lot more chances here than at other teams."