'Sensational': Micah Richards says Liverpool used to have a forward who was 'devastating' to play against
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Liverpool have just about the most fearsome forward line in all of Europe under Arne Slot.
The Reds have assembled six players who would each start for any top team across the continent.
Any combination of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah is almost a guarantee of goals.
The sextuplet continue a long tradition of top quality forwards at Liverpool, with Salah the last remaining member of the legendary trio containing Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Going further back, though, and Liverpool supporters have been able to enjoy top class forwards such as Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres running riot at Anfield.
Before Suarez or even Torres, however, the Reds could boast a Ballon d’Or winner in their front line. Yes, Michael Owen was once an absolute force of nature.
Micah Richards hails Michael Owen
While the likes of Salah, Mane and Firmino are undoubtedly Liverpool legends – and Jota may one day get there too – Suarez, Torres and Owen are less well remembered on Merseyside.
They still have their supporters, but all three pushed to leave the club while still at their peak.
Owen’s betrayal was made complete by the fact that the Liverpool academy graduate chose to join Manchester United towards the end of his career.
Nevertheless, on form, there’s an argument that the former England international was actually better than any of those forwards who came after him.
READ MORE: Jamie Carragher says he once tried to convince Rafa Benitez to sign Michael Owen
Micah Richards has certainly added weight to that argument, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast on Wednesday to hail the phenomenon that Owen once was.
“Yes he was quick and he could finish, but his movement was devastating,” Richards raved. “He could just lose you in the box within the blink of an eye.
“If you actually look at his movement early days, it was sensational.
“He could’ve been absolutely anything but injuries hindered him massively,” added the former Man City defender. “He still had a great career but he would’ve been top, top if he had have stayed fit.”
Where does Michael Owen rank in Liverpool goal-scorers?
It’s hard to believe that Owen was just 24-years-old when he left Liverpool in 2004. He had already achieved so much at Anfield.
Having broken through to the senior Liverpool squad in 1997, Owen went on to play 297 times for the Reds, scoring 158 goals.
As occasionally disliked as he is by supporters, that makes the 44-year-old one of the most potent strikers in Liverpool history.
Owen sits in ninth in the clubs all-time top scorers list, one place and 14 goals behind the great King Kenny Dalglish. In terms of goals per game, Owen’s record is the sixth best of the 19 players to score 100 or more times for Liverpool.
Owen is the youngest player to reach 100 Liverpool appearances as well and the only one to reach the milestone while still a teenager. Devastating indeed. Perhaps it’s time to put a little more respect on Mo’s name.
