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Football

07th Mar 2019

Manchester United fans turn on Michael Owen for reaction to Marcus Rashford’s penalty

Even Gary Lineker celebrated the goal

Darragh Murphy

Michael Owen appears to be on a mission to upset supporters of all his former clubs

Owen’s standing among Liverpool fans took a significant hit when he decided to join Manchester United in 2012 and his decision to refer to United as “we” during the Red Devils’ Europa League final victory over Ajax in 2017 meant there was no way back for him in the eyes of the Anfield faithful.

A petition was started to have Owen removed from his position as Liverpool’s international ambassador and the former Reds forward didn’t exactly receive the warmest reception when he lined out for Liverpool in a charity match last March.

Owen now seems keen to make United fans turn on him as his reaction to Marcus Rashford’s decisive penalty in Wednesday night’s dramatic Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain would suggest that he no longer feels any passion for the club with which he won his only Premier League title.

In the BT Sport studio, fellow former United players Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves were always going to celebrate United’s progress into the quarter-finals and even host Gary Lineker was brought to his feet in delight when Rashford’s penalty sailed past Gianluigi Buffon in stoppage time.

But Owen didn’t move a muscle and remained sat in his seat with his arms crossed while United raucously celebrated one of their greatest results in recent years.

Owen’s unmoved reaction came less than two weeks after he claimed that he would have told the Liverpool players to kick lumps out of Rashford when United were struggling with injuries during the recent 0-0 draw between the fierce Premier League rivals.

It’s safe to say that United fans have had quite enough of him.