EXCLUSIVE: Michael Owen talks Kane, Musiala, Sancho and looks back on famous hat-trick against Germany
Liverpool and England legend Michael Owen has praised Harry Kane for the impact he's made at Bayern Munich since joining from Tottenham, but says the striker's first season in Germany will ultimately be judged by trophies.
Speaking exclusively to Bulinews.com in an interview made possible by Instant Casinos, Owen discusses Kane's situation and future with Bayern, a possible Premier League move for Jamal Musiala and Jadon Sancho's chances of getting back to his best, among other topics.
Owen also reflects on the hat-trick he scored for England in a 5-1 win over Germany in 2001 - the same year he won the Ballon d'Or - and reveals that he used to travel to Munich on a regular basis during a spell of his career.
Read the full interview below.
What do you make of Harry Kane's first season in Germany? How do you think he's done on a personal level? "We're all obviously very proud of Harry Kane, being an Englishman and all that he's achieved, and obviously we follow the Bundesliga even more because he's there. He's broken a lot of records, he's scored a lot of goals, I think the Bayern Munich fans have taken to him and appreciate his quality. But of course this is not an individual game, this is a team game and Bayern Munich have not had the best season in the Bundesliga this year. That will inevitably have an impact on how people see Harry Kane's first season. If there's no trophy to be won, everyone will say 'oh what a disappointing time', even though he's scored a lot of goals. That's the reality of football. Bayern are still in the Champions League, but I'd say the way things are going at the moment, it looks like there are one or two stronger teams in that competition. And with Leverkusen playing so well in the Bundesliga, it looks like it might be difficult to win a trophy this season."
With the uncertainty at Bayern, there's been talk of him returning to England this summer. Could you see that happening? "I was quite surprised when he went to Germany in the first place, and I would be equally surprised if he came back after just one season. Once you make the move to a big club like Bayern Munich, especially at his age, you would think he would stay there and try to win some trophies. He seems to be enjoying it, he's scoring a lot of goals, the fans seem to like him, so I don't see any reason why he wouldn't stay. And of course it could be exciting times. At places like Bayern, the low points don't last forever. It's such a big club with such resources that they'll probably get a new amazing manager at the end of the season, and maybe more players will come. Other teams might be weakened by losing their manager, you never know. So I would think Harry Kane would want to finish business and make sure he wins some trophies before he returns home."
It's been rumored that Jamal Musiala has turned down a new contract with Bayern beyond 2026 in hopes of joining a Premier League club. Do you think he'd be wise to leave Bayern – perhaps as early as this summer – and which club do you think would be the best fit for him? "Musiala is a player I've admired for a long time, I think he's absolutely amazing. That type of talent could probably play in any team. Great players can suit a lot of different teams. He's obviously already at a big club in Bayern Munich. I'm sure he's going to realize a lot of his dreams being there, winning league titles and maybe even the Champions League in the future, you never know. But when you have talents like him, everybody's watching. I'm sure there are a lot of teams in the Premier League watching as well. I think the only realistic move for someone like him, apart from Real Madrid, would be to the Premier League. He's already at a big club, so it's purely a personal decision. Some players like to have an experience during their career. I went to Real Madrid to see what it was like to live in a foreign country, Harry Kane did a similar thing. Of course, Bayern Munich don't want to lose their best players, but when you have great players, that's what comes with it. I love watching Musiala play. I'm looking forward to watching him at the European Championship in Germany, and I'm sure a lot of teams will be interested as well."
Switching focus to your own playing career, was there ever any genuine interest in you from Germany – and was a move to the Bundesliga ever a consideration for you? "I don't think there was ever any contact with me in terms of going to Germany. I always thought I was going to spend my whole career at Liverpool, but then an opportunity came up to go to Real Madrid. I had a very short period of time to decide what to do and I just thought I had to get that experience. Especially at that time, it was the Galactico era with so many great players. Things happen quite quickly in football. But I don't think there was an opportunity to go to Germany. My agent never told me of any opportunity. But obviously it's one of the big leagues in Europe, it's followed quite a lot here in the UK, so I've always watched it. And of course we get to see the German teams in the European competitions as well. I've always had a lot of respect for the German league, but no, I was never really close to moving there. However, I used to come to Germany quite often to see the former club doctor for Bayern, Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. When I had some problems early in my career, I used to fly to Munich every two or three weeks to see him. So I was in Munich dozens and dozens of times from a medical point of view."
You famously scored a hat-trick for England in a thumping 5-1 win over Germany in 2001 and went on to win the Ballon d'Or that same year. How do you remember that game and how big a role do you think it played in your Ballon d'Or win? "All the stars aligned for me that year from an international point of view. Playing in games like the 5-1 win, scoring a hat-trick in that game and qualifying for the World Cup obviously helped. Domestically we won five trophies that year so it was a great season, I scored a lot of goals for Liverpool and we did well internationally as well. But it definitely played a part in winning the Ballon d'Or. Germany had just beaten us at Wembley, with my good friend Didi Hamann scoring, and the games between Germany and England have always been very prestigious and high-profile. To score three goals that went into the history books for England was amazing. When people ask me to look back on my career, the goals in the FA Cup final and the World Cup, but also the three goals in Germany, spring to mind straight away in terms of moments on the pitch that I remember fondly."
Now on loan at Borussia Dortmund, how do you rate Jadon Sancho's chances of getting back to his best? Do you think he still has a future at Manchester United? "Manchester United invested a lot of money in Jadon. I'm sure they don't want to see that asset just fall away. They've sent him back to his second home in the hope that he can rekindle that fire and that performance that he was missing at Manchester United. Things change quickly in football. Maybe by the end of the season things will have changed at Manchester United. Maybe there will be a new manager, a new set-up and Jadon can potentially come back to the club and have a fresh start, which might be nice for him. At the moment it looks like it would be difficult for him to try and force his way back in at Manchester United. But now that he is back in Dortmund, I think it could all work out well for Jadon if his performances get back to the level that we all know he can play at. It's an important time in his career because he's still young. The only way is down from Manchester United, it's a big club, so he has to fight and fight and fight to make sure that his level stays high and that he remains an England player."
