Zidane ‘We will miss Owen’

By European Football
September 4 2005

Michael Owen should never have been allowed to leave Real Madrid and join Newcastle United according to their star midfielder Zinedine Zidane: "Michael returns to The Premiership an even better player for his experience in Spain.

"You know you are going to get goals when he’s in your side - and it’s goals that bring you success. I’m disappointed that Michael has chosen to leave Madrid because world-class players are difficult to replace.

"But he hasn’t left because he failed at Madrid - on the contrary I think he was a big success. He may have arrived with a big reputation but he returns an even better player."

But he does feel that it is certainly to Newcastle’s gain:

"I know from my own experience that there are always question marks when you move from one country to another, but Michael has nothing to prove because his goals in a difficult league speak volumes for how good a player he is.

"A single player can suddenly lift morale at a club and the confidence that brings can have an incredible impact. People become better players around confident, world-class performers and that leads to success."

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