Former Three Lions forward Michael Owen revealed why he moved to Manchester United in 2009.

There were lots of links for a return to his former club Liverpool but it never happened as he joined the Red Devils instead.

Owen made the revelation in his new book Ring of Fire. He wrote that he was desperate for a return to Anfield after his Real Madrid experience. Owen is known for his goalscoring records for Liverpool, scoring more than 150 goals before his switch to Spain in 2004. Owen claims he wanted to return to England from as early as a year after his Madrid time. He painted a picture of wanting to quit Bernabeu after the euphoria died down.

“At every stage – every summer – I was on the phone to Carra [Jamie Carragher] telling him to find a way to get me back. Does Rafa want me? I’d say. ‘Does Kenny want me? Does Brendan want me?’ it was circumstance that stopped it happening,” Owen disclosed.

He added that when he was available, the options on ground were too much, the he got injured. He claimed he wasn’t the Owen of before, so they didn’t fancy him as he “wasn’t good enough.” Owen said his desire to return never happened so he signed for Newcastle in 2005 where he spent four years. He maintained that he offer come-get-me pleas to Liverpool coaches, but signed for the Red Devils only after he was rejected.

“When it became clear Benitez didn’t want to do a deal, I spoke again with [Sir Alex] Ferguson. He was very positive about me. I was 29 years old,” Owen claims. During his three-year stay at Old Trafford, Owen scored 17 goals in all competition before moving to Stoke City.