Michael Owen reveals Sir Alex Ferguson desperation after making Man Utd admission

Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen has revealed he's "desperate" to link back up with his old boss, Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, the hopeful reunion has nothing to do with football, even though the two discuss 'The Beautiful Game' here and there. Rather, horse racing enthusiast Owen - who won the Premier League and a League Cup under Ferguson during his three-year stint at Old Trafford - is champing at the bit to get a prized steed into Fergie's iconic silks.

Owen, 45, has become much more closely involved with owning and breeding horses since he hung up his boots at Stoke City in 2013. And he continues to keep up with 13-time Premier League-winning manager Ferguson given their shared interest in the sport.

"Sir Alex has got a couple at my yard, always has done in fairness," he told BoyleSports. "Him and a couple of his friends own them together, he has had horses at my stables for 10 to 15 years now. It's lovely to have his famous silks in our tack room and donning them on the racetracks.

"I'm just desperate for a bloody good horse for us to train for him. That would be nice because the Liverpool lads have had incredible luck. They've had a lot of success and the Brighton lads now are having a lot of luck. I'd like to have a really nice one for Sir Alex as well. That'd be great."

Owen's days at Old Trafford may not have been as glamorous as he envisioned given injuries played their part in limiting his impact. However, he has stuck close to the area in retirement and operates largely out of his Manor House Stables in rural Cheshire, in partnership with Hugo Palmer.

Ferguson had a banner year as a racing owner in 2024, winning back-to-back races at Cheltenham. He also made history after one of his horses, Spirit Dancer, won the Bahrain International Trophy for the second time in as many years - not to mention the £800,000 ($1million) prize that comes with it.

Having worked together as player and manager, Owen has also revealed he still has his uses in Ferguson today. The Scot isn't too proud to take advantage of his former striker when the need arises.

He told The Winners Enclosure: "Sir Alex Ferguson, of course. Our passions absolutely crossed paths, I think he only signed me so he could share tips! Sir Alex calls me a lot on Saturdays, and we talk about football and racing.

"As I say he has two horses at my stables so we have a lot in common, and of course, he is obviously retired now and following his horses around the world and having great success so it’s great to see. We used to talk at Manchester United about horses and tips."

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