MICHAEL Owen has been charged with the task of adding another glorious chapter to the story of United's revered No.7 shirt.

The jersey vacated by Cristiano Ronaldo after six years has iconic status at Old Trafford thanks to the Portugal star and previous wearers Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and, on occasion, George Best.

Ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle hitman Owen says he has the appetite to tackle the challenge.

Owen, signed on a free transfer after his St James' Park contract ended last month, said: "I am hungry to do well. If this challenge does not create a hunger and a spring in your step and put a smile on your face, nothing will.

"I am as hungry as ever and I don't think I need to prove it. Having the manager and a club like this coming in for you says it all. I am as hungry as I have ever been to succeed. I still believe I can do well in a top team like United. I feel as though I belong at a top club and I am delighted to be here.

"There are only a certain amount of top clubs in the world that you wish to play at. In the last year or two, I suppose it would be dreaming to think I would be plying my trade here.

"I am not going to go into how many clubs I was talking to and who they were (Hull and Stoke were the only ones mentioned in the media). I never spoke to anyone before I was out of contract at Newcastle, but I can assure you there were a few more than were suggested.

"There were a few good clubs, but when Manchester United came in, all the talk was put on hold and the deal was wrapped up straight away."

Since breaking a metatarsal bone in his foot half a season into his career on Tyneside in 2005 and then suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in the 2006 World Cup, Owen failed to rediscover his pre-Newcastle form. It has led to him being labelled an injury risk.

"In some ways it does irritate me that so many people have doubts about me," Owen added.

Justification

"But the people that count are the ones who matter to me. People have had a justification to have a go at me in certain parts. I didn't set the world alight in the last year at Newcastle.

"That is no-one's fault but mine. We were not playing well as a team and I wasn't doing my bit either. But the people I want to impress and want to be happy are the ones I listen to. There is a lot of stuff said in the press I don't take much notice of.

"If there was one thing I would be angered by, the injury thing would be it. There is no doubt I have had injuries in my career. Most people have.

"You see continually that I have been plagued by injuries, but there is no fact whatsoever in that. I played 33 and 32 games in the last two years at Newcastle.

"The two years previous to that I was injured. But it was nothing to do with being injury-prone. If someone jumps on your foot and your metatarsal breaks - there is a long list of players that has happened to.

"I am 29 and have played over 500 games for club and country. That says it all. The injury thing gets up my nose the most if I am honest. I don't believe I am injury-prone."

Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced that Owen will add substantially to the 202 club goals in his career.

"Experience is vital. With Michael you'll see the experience he gives us in the penalty box. There is no question," said Sir Alex. "I know he will score a lot of goals for us. He has been great at that for years.

"As an opposition manager you always had to be aware of his runs in the final third."

Owen had looked around United when he was choosing his first club as a youngster and Fergie well remembers the impact he made as a teenager at Liverpool.

But he believes he was given a tough introduction by both Liverpool and England.

"I remember him well. It was an unfortunate time for him," recalled Fergie. "In 1997 he played in the World Championship in Malaysia. I had Ronnie Wallwork and John Curtis playing in the same tournament. When those players came back we gave them a six-week break.

"Michael went right into the Liverpool first team and the following summer played at the World Cup. That was unfair to have that strain on him and have that intensity of matches at big tournaments, one summer after another, with no summer break."

There will certainly be no resting for Owen now as he attempts to kick-start his club career and win over England coach Fabio Capello.

ANTONIO Valencia has urged fans and critics not to burden him with the Cristiano Ronaldo successor tag.

The £16m wing capture from Wigan, United's biggest cash purchase of the summer, is eager to prove himself at Old Trafford but not as the World Player of the Year's heir.

"When I had my first conversations with United it was never said I was coming here as a replacement for the previous number seven," said the 23-year-old Ecuadorian.

"Obviously Cristiano did very well here. But I am here to do my job and do the things I do well. I am keen to do well. That is the main thing.

"I have a real desire to do well. I don't make any comparisons between myself and Cristiano."

Sir Alex Ferguson is pleased with his two new additions to his flank stock in Valencia and 20-year-old £3m signing Gabriel Obertan.

He is expecting the pair to maintain United's traditions of exciting wingers.

Dipped

"They are both very quick players and play in wide positions. We like players at this club who can play in wide positions.

"We have always had that and it gives us two other strings to our bow," he said.

"In Gabriel's case we knew him when he was 16 years of age. He was probably the most sought-after youngster in Europe at that time.

"We always kept in touch with him through Jim Ryan. His form dipped a little last season and that was possibly because of an injury.

"But the form has returned. He played fantastically against England Under-21s at Nottingham Forest in March and we reignited our interest."

Obertan says: "It is about having minutes on the pitch. If I can get some each game it is going to be great because I just want to make progress with United."

TWO years ago Nani flew back from China after United's 2007 Far East tour having wowed the Reds fans.

Those who'd tuned into TV coverage of United's warm-up matches or the loyal few who'd travelled across the globe spoke excitedly of his wonderful cheeky chip against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical.

That came after his debut goal against Shenzhen in Macau.

Both strikes were followed by his acrobatic back flip celebration.

The Reds' new £18m acquisition from Cristiano Ronaldo's old club Sporting Lisbon had seemingly hit the ground running.

Here was a potential heir to his celebrated international colleague or the winger to balance United up with two entertainers on both flanks.

But Nani will board the Premier League champions' plane to Malaysia on Thursday and another tour of the Far East arguably no further on in his quest to nail down a regular Reds berth.

Sir Alex Ferguson promised towards the end of last season that Nani would be at Old Trafford this season and would be better.

Stage

The fact he hasn't featured in any swap deal so far, despite all the rumours, backs up the possibility that the United boss hasn't given up on the 22-year-old.

But despite Ronaldo's exit, Nani might find that he has barely risen up the pecking order with a handful of newcomers gearing themselves up for the task of filling Cristiano's boots.

Nani will be joined on the Reds jet to Kuala Lumpur by more wingers looking to fill the Ronaldo void and convince Sir Alex Ferguson they can be the one for the job.

Antonio Valencia is the newest recruit and arguably seen as the No1 contender to be Ronaldo's successor.

The £16m former Wigan player will have the bonus over Nani two years ago that he has already proved he can handle the Premier League stage.

The 23-year-old Ecuadorian's task is to prove he can handle the Old Trafford stage now.

As Nani discovered two years ago, a Far East tour is an easy comfortable way to make a quick impression.

It's an ideal introduction but it is doubtful any home-based United fan will be going overboard about what they see in Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia and China after Nani's tough time following his impressive start.

Contemplate

Zoran Tosic has stolen a slight march on Valencia in that he has been at Old Trafford since signing from Partizan Belgrade in the January transfer window.

The Serbian winger was largely kept under wraps after his arrival and Fergie let him cut his teeth in Ole Solskjaer's reserve side.

But after playing for Serbia's U-21 side in the European Championship this summer in Sweden, Tosic has targeted the Reds pre-season tour and warm-up matches as his chance to make the breakthrough and enjoy a window of opportunity.

Unluckily for another new import £3m Gabriel Obertan the ex-Bordeaux winger won't have the benefit of a tour welcome.

The 20-year-old will remain behind at Carrington to recover from a slight injury and contemplate his role in the scramble to become the main man in Fergie's wide plans.

The Korea leg of the tour will be a personal platform for Seoul's very own superstar Ji-sung Park.

The 28-year-old doesn't bring the edge-of-your-seat flank play to the table that United will be expecting from Valencia, possibly Tosic, and in the future Obertan, but his discipline and energy has proved invaluable at times.

It will no doubt appeal to Ronaldo's ego that United will have at least five players trying to replace him.

Carlos Tevez completed his move to Manchester City on a five-year contract on Tuesday, and rubbished claims made by Sir Alex Ferguson that he had shunned calls from his former manager.


MatthewLewis/GettyImages
Carlos Tevez and Mark Hughes face the press after the deal was completed
The Manchester United boss claimed he had attempted to contact Tevez on a number of occasions to persuade him to remain at Old Trafford, but was blanked. But Tevez has now claimed that is not true.

Tevez, who cost the club a fee in the region of £25m, said: "I was there for two years and Sir Alex never called or sent any text messages in that time.

"The only time he talked to me was after a match against Roma to discuss a situation about going to play for Argentina.

"It doesn't seem that this is the way to treat a player in two years at the club. it doesn't seem there is a line of communication.''

The 25-year-old did go on to thank United, adding: "David Gill (United chief executive), Alex Ferguson and the club's fan base I thank you for the time I spent there, but this is a new life for me and I am happy to be at Manchester City.''

Sir Alex also believed that Tevez had agreed to join City as long ago as January, something else the 25-year-old denies: "It is United people talking about signing a contract (in January) but it is not true that it was decided then.''

Meanwhile, Mark Hughes confirmed that City are still looking for further signings and that talks are on-going with Emmanuel Adebayor of Arsenal, and he is a firm admirer of Chelsea skipper John Terry.

Hughes said of his future summer transfer dealings: "There may well be opportunities that present themselves. There are areas of the team we still want to strengthen.

"We would like to obviously be in a position at the beginning of the season to have a team in place that we think can challenge this year.

"If opportunities present themselves we could possibly buy more players.

"I think there's been discussions between ourselves and Arsenal [for Adebayor] but, as is my usual response about players that we haven't signed, really it's not the right time or place to discuss that - only in as much as yes there has been contact.

"There's a deal to be done possibly but it's not been concluded as we speak. Until it actually happens, really it's not the time or the place to discuss it here.''

When asked about Terry, he replied: "I have fantastic respect for John Terry, ever since I saw him as a young player when I was at Chelsea as a player myself.

"He's a great player and an outstanding captain. But he's very much a Chelsea player at this moment in time.

"I have huge respect for him. I think any manager would covet a player of the type of John Terry, but at this moment in time he's a player for Chelsea so we have to respect that.''

When asked whether Tevez represents good value for money, Hughes said: "Absolutely, for Manchester City, it's absolutely good value.

"From our point of view, where we are in our development, to be able to bring one of the top strikers in world football to our club is a fantastic thing for us as a club, for our fans and everybody connected with Manchester City.

"We're absolutely delighted that Carlos is here.''