• Mike Ashley set to take whopping loss on investment
• Malaysians shown around St James' Park on Thursday

A Malaysian consortium reportedly submitted an £80m bid to Mike Ashley for control of Newcastle United yesterday. The Malaysians, who were shown round St James' Park on Thursday after watching the slightly bemused players being put through their paces at the training ground, seemingly made their offer on a day when Seymour Pierce, the investment bank brokering the sale, was also hoping for rival bids from at least two of the other three consortiums which have been carrying out due diligence at the club.

All interested parties have signed non-disclosure agreements and their identities remain closely guarded secrets although Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle's former chairman, is involved with one of them.

Another consortium, from the United States, had been regarded as the favourite but, when the Malaysians flew to London with Derek Llambias, Newcastle's managing director, on Thursday evening and immediately met Seymour Pierce, that perception changed.

Ashley, who wants £100m for the club and will take a thumping loss on his investment, is likely to spend the weekend pondering his options but, before any substantive progress is made, one consortium will need to sign a sales-purchase agreement. That would set the takeover in full motion and allow the appointment of a manager – most probably, though not definitely, Shearer.

Despite Seymour Pierce's optimism that a deal can be quickly concluded, nothing is certain and some observers fear that legal and financial barriers could dictate that things are destined to drag on for a few more weeks yet.

Shepherd was on a golfing break in Portugal yesterday.

• Scot will work with commercial side of club's business
• Dalglish to 'drive forward Liverpool's academy'

Kenny Dalglish is returning to Liverpool to take up a senior role in their academy and as a global ambassador for the club.

The Scot made his name as a player at Anfield before going on to become manager with equal success. Not only will he be nurturing Liverpool's talented youngsters, he will also work with the commercial side of the business around the world.

The club's managing director, Christian Purslow, said Dalglish can "help Rafa Benítez [the manager] really drive forward our academy which is at the heart of our plans for the future. I am sure he will be very successful in his new role back at the club."

Manchester United scored a paltry 68 goals last season. Owen's unerring finishing could help them find their rhythm

The willingness to sign Michael Owen makes Sir Alex Ferguson look as much a collector as a manager. There might already be a cabinet reserved in some museum of football for a player who is just 29. Indeed, it is the throwback quality that makes him valuable to Manchester United. Large as it is, the Old Trafford squad has not contained a proven poacher since Ruud van Nistelrooy was sold to Real Madrid and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's career drew to a close.

Few top-level clubs have such a figure. Hardly anyone else fits that description in the Premier League, other than Jermain Defoe at Tottenham. United must sense the continuing value of these specialists, despite tactical systems that leave scant room for them nowadays. In April Federico Macheda's two goals for the club to date turned impending draws into victories against Sunderland and Aston Villa.

It adds to the burgeoning lore of the Italian to treat those strikes as if they alone had delivered the four-point margin by which United retained the title. Macheda is a mere 17 but there was a reminder there that goalmouth experts can never be wholly obsolete. He may be too young to prosper week after week but Ferguson would like to have a predator on hand who is fully equipped. The question now is whether Owen can continue to meet that description. His irrelevance in the closing weeks of last season was alarming.

Alan Shearer, following his installation as manager at the beginning of April, had placed a great emphasis on the impact Owen might have on Newcastle's prospects of survival. The calculation must have been that this emphasis on the player's status would bring out the very best in him. Owen turned out to be incapable of finding the net.

On the closing day of the campaign he appeared purely as an ineffective substitute, in the middle of the second half at Villa Park, when the side was seeking an equaliser that would have kept them in the Premier League. No one else scored either, and there were far deeper factors in Newcastle's relegation than his difficulties, but it was sobering to see him achieve no more against Villa than complete three innocuous passes over 24 minutes.

Fabio Capello declined to name Owen in the England party after he had recovered from injury in March. Some of the Italian's predecessors as England manager would have included him out of mere habit but he lacked any in-built trust in the striker. Ferguson's circumstances, however, differ radically from Capello's. The United squad is very large and there is no major significance in adding another name.

Owen, if the move works out, would restore the opportunism that has largely gone missing since Solskjaer conceded that he could not overcome his knee problems. For all the efforts of the departed Cristiano Ronaldo, United do not score as freely as they once did. They hit 68 goals in the Premier League last season; the corresponding figure for 2007-08 was 80. Ferguson's team has become more effective in the Champions League by taking fewer risks but ebullience could be permitted on other fronts.

It may be that Owen can help United win the run-of-mill matches more easily, so allowing his team-mates to conserve energy for key fixtures in a long campaign. When he was functioning normally, the attacker scored four times in his five appearances during the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Assuming he stays fit, it will be interesting to see the extent to which he is used by Ferguson.

The inability of Owen and Wayne Rooney to dovetail for their country has almost attained comic proportions. They could put in more practice at United but each would prefer to be partnered with a target man. Rooney has thrived for England when stationed close to Emile Heskey.

As it is, Ferguson could continue to use Rooney towards the left, even if the player would rather be in the middle, and employ, say, Dimitar Berbatov to prompt Owen in United's 4-2-3-1 system. That, however, assumes that the newcomer will have a key role.

It may turn out that there is to be no such status for Owen. If he is to be a lone striker, which seems inevitable now that 4-4-2 is all but extinct, he will probably flourish only against weaker clubs when United, as they dominate, get many players forward to support him.

In the tense and tactical contests he could, like Solskjaer, be a specialist substitute who can winkle out a goal. That may be a step down for someone so renowned in his youth but it would constitute a renaissance after four years of decline at Newcastle.

• Former England midfielder has signed two-year deal
• 41-year-old was sacked after six months at Blackburn

Paul Ince has returned to MK Dons for his second spell as manager little more than a year after leaving for Blackburn.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder has signed a two-year deal with the Buckinghamshire club and he will be hoping he repeat the success of his previous one-year spell when he led them to the League Two title as well as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

The 41-year-old then moved to Blackburn where he experienced a turbulent six months in charge of the Premier League club and he was sacked after winning just six games to be replaced by Sam Allardyce.

Ince will replace Roberto Di Matteo, who left to join West Brom earlier this week, and he will be looking to guide the side into the Championship after they lost in the play-offs last season.

The MK Dons chairman, Pete Winkelman, told the club's official website: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to bring Paul back to Milton Keynes. He enjoyed incredible success during his first spell with us and showed himself more than worthy of a shot at the Premier League.

"But we always felt he had unfinished business here and it feels absolutely right that he should return to the club and build on the very momentum he helped to create."

• Owen signing takes just three days for United to complete
• 'A fantastic opportunity and one I will seize with both hands'

Michael Owen tonight signed a two-year contract with Manchester United after completing a rigorous medical examination to dispel some of the concerns surrounding his injury problems.

Owen underwent a series of medical checks at a private hospital in Manchester this afternoon before travelling to the club's training ground in Carrington to finalise the deal which, as a free agent, will not cost United a transfer fee.

The lightning move by Sir Alex Ferguson caught the football world by surprise, the move being done and dusted in the space of three days. "I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me. I agreed without a moment's thought," said Owen. "This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands."

United were able to confirm late this evening that the England striker will be joining Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Luis Antonio Valencia in a new-look attack, and the club have pencilled in a press conference to unveil him either next Friday or the following Monday.

"I am now looking forward to being a United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here. I missed pre-season last year and am pleased that I will be starting at Carrington from day one," the 29-year-old said.

His debut is likely to be the first game of United's tour to south-east Asia, against a Malaysia XI on 18 July. His first appearance at Old Trafford will be on 5 August when Valencia come to Manchester for a pre-season friendly.

Ferguson welcomed the new arrival by saying: "Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question. Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish."

His contract at Old Trafford is based on bonuses for playing and scoring but Owen has been happy to take a huge pay cut from his £110,000-a-week salary at Newcastle.

• Players in City dressing room on good terms with defender
• Chelsea reluctance to negotiate among obstacles to move

Manchester City are to persist in their attempts to sign John Terry amid a growing sense within the club that the Chelsea captain is seriously considering his future and could be tempted by a salary that would almost double his current pay.

Mark Hughes, the City manager, has been encouraged by messages from associates of the player, the most prominent being one of Terry's international team-mates. There are several players inside the City dressing room who are on good terms with Terry, and Hughes has spent months putting together enough background information to be confident that a deal most Chelsea fans would like to believe was fantasy is, indeed, a possibility.

That manifested itself in the City executive chairman, Garry Cook, making a verbal bid of around £30m during a meeting with his Chelsea counterpart, Peter Kenyon, and following it up with a faxed offer stating they would also pull out of the tribunal to set the fee for Daniel Sturridge, the teenage striker who has just moved in the other direction.

The City hierarchy were braced for Chelsea's reaction, namely an aggressively worded statement that the offer was "completely rejected" and "[Chelsea] would like to make clear, and will not do so again, that John is not for sale".

Chelsea's reluctance to enter into negotiations is genuine and City are acutely aware there are obstacles to overcome given Terry's strong affinity to the London club and the way he has portrayed himself as "Mr Chelsea", openly declaring that he would never leave Stamford Bridge.

There is, however, also a sense that Chelsea's decision to publicise the Terry bid, when they could feasibly have kept it quiet, is the opening move of a PR operation to make it public knowledge that they are opposed to losing the player. The £30m offer was largely based on that being the amount Manchester United paid for Rio Ferdinand when they made him the world's most expensive defender in 2002. The difference is that Ferdinand was 23 at the time, whereas Terry is 28, but Chelsea are known to regard it as an embarrassingly low bid.

• Owen expected to join United if he comes through medical
• Striker has left Carrington for more tests at a hospital

Michael Owen is expected to complete his shock move to Manchester United this evening once final medical checks have been conducted. The former Newcastle and England striker spent the day at the club's Carrington training complex but left early in the afternoon in a black Audi 4x4 to attend a south Manchester hospital for more tests.

Owen, whose contract with the Magpies expired at the end of June, had a medical examination yesterday to assess the troublesome knee which has troubled him since suffering the injury at the 2006 World Cup. However, it is anticipated the ex-Liverpool forward will return to Carrington this evening when he will officially be confirmed as a United player.

Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle but did not find the net after January. He will be extremely motivated to prove his critics wrong but would nevertheless represent a major gamble for United and their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. United have sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m while Carlos Tevez has also left the club after his loan deal expired.

United have already signed Luis Antonio Valencia from Wigan for £16m in what promises to be a busy summer at Old Trafford. They did, however, miss out on signing the Lyon striker Karim Benzema, who joined Real Madrid this week for £30m.

• Alan Shearer keen to move midfielder on if appointed
• Barton's £65,000 a week wages present stumbling block

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish is keen to take Joey Barton off Newcastle's hands – but only on an initial season-long loan with a view to a permanent transfer.

Barton had been suspended indefinitely by Alan Shearer at the end of last season but, with Newcastle still managerless, he has been allowed to resume pre-season training.

However, if and when Shearer finally takes charge his first act will be to move Barton on.

Birmingham could offer a mutually satisfactory escape route but the midfielder's wages of around £65,000 a week could represent a stumbling block as Newcastle would prefer a clean break.

• Arsenal manager has made Bordeaux striker top priority
• Frenchman says Real Madrid distort prices

Arsène Wenger is confident Emmanuel Adebayor will remain at Arsenal but he has revealed he would consider buying the Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh as a possible replacement.

The future of the Togo striker is yet to be resolved one way or another with Milan continuing their interest following a public pursuit last summer before the 25-year-old agreed a new deal to stay at the Emirates Stadium. Adebayor, however, has made it clear he would be happy to remain and lead the Gunners' challenge for honours despite a difficult season.

Wenger has no desire to sell the striker - who scored 30 goals during the 2007-08 campaign - as he prepares for his squad's return to training next week. "If he does not want to stay, he will leave, but I think he will be still at Arsenal this season," Wenger told French radio station RMC.

Wenger's only signing so far has been the Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen and looks set to continue his quest to bring in a holding midfielder. However, should Adebayor move on, the Gunners boss could move for the Moroccan international Chamakh. "Yes, but only in the event of a departure," the manager said of his interest in Chamakh.

Wenger had also been tracking Lyon's Karim Benzema, who has joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "There is one who interested me, but he [Karim Benzema] left for Madrid," said Wenger. "I did not make an approach because I would never have thought that Lyon would sell this year."

Wenger added: "There are two prices today, the price when Real Madrid buy and the market price. In the market, €35m (£30m) for Benzema is a very good price. But is he three times less good than Ronaldo? I don't think so."

Arsenal have moved this week to tie up several of their youngsters on long-term deals with Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey agreeing contract extensions while four members of the successful FA Youth Cup team signed professional forms.

Robin van Persie, last season's top scorer, is expected to agree terms on a new deal shortly.

• Former boxer to raise funds for Muhammad Ali Centre
• Will visit Britannia Stadium, Wembley and Old Trafford

Muhammad Ali will travel to England this summer and the former world heavyweight champion has selected an eclectic list of venues to visit. Old Trafford and Wembley may seem like obvious choices for an athlete of his fame but he has also included Stoke City's Britannia Stadium and the Alltech FEI Windsor European Jumping and Dressage Championships at Windsor Castle on his itinerary.

Stoke's are hosting a lunch for the boxer on 27 August and the club's delighted chief executive, Tony Scholes, said: "He is only visiting three stadiums in the United Kingdom - Old Trafford in Manchester, Wembley Stadium in London and the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent. It's going to be a fabulous event at the Britannia Stadium to welcome a true sporting legend."

Ali said: "The UK is very close to my heart. I want to visit again not only to raise awareness and funds for the Muhammad Ali Centre but also to see such a wonderful country and all my friends and fans here."

Carl Holness of Mammoth Events and Management, a lifelong Stoke supporter, added: "We have worked tirelessly for over a year to bring the greatest living sporting icon to the UK and I am humbled and honoured to be welcoming Muhammad Ali back to this country. I knew that 'The Greatest' had to come to the Britannia Stadium for an event once I knew he was coming. These incredible fundraising events promise to be a wonderful celebration of Muhammad Ali's life."

• Halford becomes third new signing in four days
• Utility man hopeful of proving himself in top flight

Wolves have completed the signing of Sunderland's Greg Halford for an undisclosed fee. Halford has signed a three-year deal – with an option for a further 12 months – at Molineux to become the promoted club's third new arrival in four days following the captures of Kevin Doyle and Andrew Surman.

The 24-year-old joined Sunderland in 2007 from Reading for £3m but failed to settle on Wearside and was loaned out to Charlton and Sheffield United. "I'm really excited about moving down to Wolves," Halford said.

"It is going to be an exciting season for the club going into the Premier League and hopefully we can push on and establish ourselves in the division. Wolves are obviously a big club and the infrastructure is all there. There's a great training ground, great stadium and a large fanbase and all the plans are in place for Wolves to really establish themselves."

Halford scored the winner in the play-off semi-final against Preston which took Sheffield United to Wembley but the Blades' loss to Burnley effectively ended any hopes the South Yorkshire side had of luring him to Bramall Lane on a permanent deal. Wolves stepped in and Halford did not hesitate to link up with the manager Mick McCarthy.

"I know there has been interest from Wolves for a while and apparently a call went in not long after the play-off final," he added. "That went a long way to making up my mind to be honest, how keen the manager was to get the deal done. It always plays a big part when a manager shows how much he wants you to join and obviously I'd also heard a lot of good things about him from other people."

"Trying to prove myself at the top level is another main reason for the move. I thought I did well in the Championship last season but want to do well in the Premier League as well. There probably wasn't going to be that chance for me at Sunderland but I'm delighted to take the opportunity of trying with Wolves."

Halford can play at right-back, in midfield and also in attack and will add versatility to McCarthy's squad.

If he signs, Owen will come off the bench when United are failing to convert chances - like Kris Boyd at Rangers, only less so

The ballyhoo ignited by Michael Owen's proposed move to Manchester United is – surely – out of proportion to the relatively minor importance of the player in the club's plans. It is impossible to imagine he is seen as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez, or compensation for missing out on Karim Benzema. It is much more probable that this freebie who will reportedly be offered a pay-as-you-play deal will serve as a cut-price successor to, say, Alan Smith or latter-day Louis Saha or, in the best-case scenario, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In other words, United should still be expected to make far more significant signings this summer.

Even the glitzy brochure concocted by his agents acknowledged that Owen is no longer as fast as before, and towards the end of his sentence at Newcastle United he even appeared to have lost his other main selling point – the ability to convert one-on-ones. It seemed then that the only thing he could finish was the hatchet job on his reputation. A generous interpretation of the misses he committed against, for example, Portsmouth and which ultimately led his friend Alan Shearer to drop him for the decisive run-in, would attribute them to a lack of confidence. That, admittedly, ignores the fact that in his very first press conference as manager Shearer had done his utmost to embiggen the little man by declaring him a surefire starter but perhaps a couple of weeks was not enough time to fortify a spirit weakened by years of injury and frustration. Being embraced by Manchester United could prove much more stimulating.

Regaining his confidence and his prowess as a predator would, you imagine, not be sufficient to secure him a starting place. He does not have the speed to serve as a spearhead nor the dynamism to be an offensive fulcrum, nor even to pester tired defences in the way Tevez can. And - his sporadic flourishes 'in the hole' for Newcastle under Keegan notwithstanding – he is not creative or forceful enough to provide the presence or goals from midfield that United will miss with the departure of Ronaldo and the continued waning of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. He does offer the experience and nous that Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck currently lack but probably not enough to even replicate the role briefly played at Old Trafford by Henrik Larsson. The Owen-style of player is a near anachronism, that with which only the biggest clubs can afford to persist. Owen's role at United will, if he signs, be to spring off the bench on occasions when United are creating chances but failing to convert them. He will be to United what Kris Boyd is to Rangers, only less so.

Which leaves the question as to who will the more significant recruits be? A midfielder/forward who can inject offensive menace and anarchy seems essential. No, not Joey Barton, rather someone such as Sergio Aguero, Franck Ribéry - though his heart seems set on Madrid - or even Arjen Robben, fitness and past snubs permitting. Antonio Valencia is a fine player, especially in a 4-4-2, but it is hard to envisage him, or Michael Carrick, Park Ji-sung, Anderson or Darren Fletcher, scoring as many goals as Ronaldo did. As things stand, even if Wayne Rooney shifts more towards the centre alongside Dimitar Berbatov, United suffer a shortage of goals. And, of course, the paucity of nimble conjurers that Barcelona exposed remains.

From Jared Borgetti's turn and swivel to poor old Chris Brass, here's half a dozen spectacular headers

1) Marco Van Basten (MILAN v Real Madrid, 1989 European Cup semi-final, first leg)

It was 20 years since Milan had won the European Cup and here they were in the first leg of the 1989 semi-final trailing 1-0 to Real Madrid, who, despite their dominance in Spain, were desperate to end an even longer barren run on the continent. Not desperate enough, however, to bother preventing Mauro Tassotti from ambling 50 yards forward from his right-back berth. Or maybe they knew the defender would do nothing more threatening than direct a gentle cross just behind Marco Van Basten at the edge of the area? Of course they should also have know that the Dutchman was master at making the harmless fatal. Twisting down and backwards to meet Tassotti's delivery, the striker applied the perfect power and trajectory to send the ball arcing over goalkeeper Paco Buyo from 18 yards. Pedants might have us categorise it as an own goal after it ricocheted off the bar and on to the keeper before crossing the line, but forget pedants. There were a couple of tasty headers in the famous second leg too. Also in that season, Graziano Mannari topped off a splendid Milan move against Juventus thus.

2) Hristo Bonev (BULGARIA v Uruguay, 1974 World Cup)

After scoring seven goals in six qualifiers Bonev went into the 1974 World Cup with many of his compatriots hailing him as the natural heir to Gundy Asparouhov, the much-loved striker who had been killed in a car crash in 1971 along with team-mate Nikita Kotkov. Dealing with that sort of pressure demands courage and focus – two qualities, indeed, that are often required to score a great headed goal. Bonev showed he possessed these in the group game against Uruguay, when he ignored the flailing legs of a reckless South American acrobat to power the ball into the net from 12 yards (at 2:58 in the clip). Alas, Uruguay equalised three minutes from time and Bulgaria were tonked by Holland in their final group game. As for Bonve, Despite playing primarily in midfield he went on to become Bulgaria's all-time leading scorer. And in 1982 ended his career at Oxford United.

3) Jared Borgetti (MEXICO v Italy, 2002 World Cup)

Often, the timing of the run and the pace of the cross combine to leave the scorer with little to do but give the ball a good loaf. This was not one of those occasions. Here Borgetti was darting in what any defender would have considered the wrong direction and displayed extraordinary awareness and exquisite deftness to rotate on the run and bop Cuauhtémoc Blanco's pass beyond the reach, and even the comprehension, of Gigi Buffon. A less surprising change of direction occurred later in his career after he headed to Sam Allardyce's Bolton.

4) Henrik Larsson (SWEDEN v Bulgaria, Euro 2004)

Few sights in football elicit roars of approval as quickly as a successful diving header. There's a vicarious thrill in watching a player hurl himself head-first at a rapidly moving object, and the precision required to score from this seemingly reckless act bestows a nobility that distinguishes it from, say, Jackass. The likes of Andy Gray, Duncan Ferguson and Kevin Moran never used to let the presence of half-a-dozen panicking defenders discourage them from plunging to meet a ball, while Keith Houchen and Allan Clarke's determination to win the FA Cup memorably propelled their foreheads towards otherwise unreachable balls. Curiously, however, it is perhaps the absence of flying boots and the existence of other options that make Larsson's diving header against Bulgaria the most perfect of the genre. He had time and space to trap the ball and simply stroke it past the keeper, but such was the class of the man – and, perhaps, his eagerness to demonstrate that class after some had dismissed him as too old following his return from international retirement – that he chose to lie flat in mid-air and nut the ball into the net.

5) Paul Agostino (AUSTRALIA v Uruguay, 1993 World Youth Championship)

Actually, forget about Larsson. He only had to go down to the ball. Propelling yourself horizontally towards a ball is a lot more difficult if you first of all have to climb above a defender. The young Socceroos (Joeyroos?) may have been trailing Uruguay 1-0 but even their notoriously bonkers captain, Kevin Muscat, would have shirked at trying this. And even if he did attempt it, he'd lack the athleticism to pull it off. The Joeyroos went on to win 2-1 in extra-time, by the way. And lose to Brazil in the semis.

6) Chris Brass (BURY v Darlington, League Two, 2006)

On the opening day of the 1987 season Liverpool were drawing 1-1 at Highbury when John Barnes floated a cross into the Arsenal box and Tony Adams nodded it clear – or so the centre-back thought. Steve Nicol proved otherwise by meeting the dropping ball two yards outside the box and powering a ridiculous header into the net for the winning goal. Garth Crooks once unleashed an even more ferocious header – albeit from closer to the goal – to score for Spurs in a 6-1 mauling of Wolves. But we can't find footage of either of them. Besides, neither of them, nor any of the others above, were as spectacular as this. Brass may only have been playing for lowly Bury, but this effort took incredible technique and not a little bravery – he broke his nose in the process. It's a goal that is unlikely to ever be surpassed, despite the impressive feats of Cicinho and John Arne Riise.

• Former Fifa referee will help develop officals
• 'An inspired choice,' says Mike Gatting

Premier League referee Steve Bennett has been appointed by the England and Wales Cricket Board as an independent director of their new association of cricket officials. The former Fifa referee, who also works as an instructor for world football's governing body, will be involved in the development of umpires and off-field officials in partnership with the ECB.

"I am delighted to have been appointed at such an exciting time in cricket," he said. "Officials are vital players in all sports. I understand the importance of their role and the satisfaction to be gained from officiating and being part of any match. I would like more people to get involved and experience those benefits."

The ECB chief executive, David Collier, added: "Steve's unique background will be invaluable in this role. His appointment demonstrates the importance that ECB places on our officials being at the heart of the game."

Mike Gatting, the ECB managing director of cricket partnerships, who also sits on the ACO Board, heralded the appointment, describing Bennett as "an inspired choice – the right man to help take this new Association forward". He added: "His experience and knowledge will make a vital contribution."

Sidelined in Madrid and pilloried on Tyneside, the striker can again prove his critics wrong

The paradox of Michael Owen's prolific career is that he has been required to spend so much of it confounding his many doubters. This contradiction first surfaced back in the halcyon days of France 98. Forget "that goal" against Argentina though, Glenn Hoddle, the then England coach was strangely eager to confide to journalists that he did not think "Michael is really a natural goal-scorer".

Undeterred, the young tyro — Owen first played for his country at 17 — simply kept on scoring for Liverpool and England. Yet even as he helped Gérard Houllier bring some welcome silverware back to Anfield, the doom-mongers were highlighting the protégé's persistent hamstring problems and pointing out that he made frequent trips to Munich for treatment by the sports doctor Hans Müller-Wolfhart.

By the time Owen moved on to Real Madrid in 2004 the coruscating pace which once dazzled defences was beginning to ebb away. Indeed some were surprised that the striker passed the Spanish club's medical.

He proceeded to score 13 goals that season, yet this tally should be viewed in the context of his starting most games on the substitutes' bench. Suddenly Owen's hamstrings did not seem as significant as accusations that he was "one-dimensional". If that was overlooking an intuitive positional sense and many unrewarded runs into the box, there was no escaping the fact that this apparently reluctant gálactico was making little effort to assimilate in Spain.

Unlike his Real compatriot Jonathan Woodgate, Owen made little effort to learn the language and one cameo is especially telling. Someone who knew him well revealed that Owen used to regularly drive from his Madrid hotel to the airport in order to buy English newspapers, never realising that, had he bothered to venture a few yards into the city, he could have bought the Daily Mail et al from numerous downtown kiosks. Such a lack of imagination left him far from suited to the expat life and a return to England the following summer came as no surprise.

Yet with Liverpool's Rafael Benítez unwilling to pay Real's £16m asking fee and Owen's £100,000-plus weekly wages, he was effectively forced into a shotgun marriage with Newcastle United and their then chairman, Freddy Shepherd. It was perhaps symbolic that on the day when thousands turned up at St James' Park to cheer his signing, his wife Louise was spotted near the entrance to the tunnel in floods of tears.

Small wonder. After a bright start to his Tyneside career, her husband fractured a foot and missed several months of football. Then, in the 2006 World Cup he severed a cruciate ligament and was sidelined for virtually all of the following season.

Signed by Graeme Souness, he had barely kicked a ball under Glenn Roeder and suddenly found himself under Sam Allardyce's charge. The political turmoil at St James' was hardly the ideal backdrop to a personal renaissance but at least Roeder had introduced him to John Green, a specialist fitness and sprint coach Owen still works with and who has addressed his hamstring weaknesses. That was the good news, the bad featured a tense relationship with Allardyce — who recently claimed the No10 would be far too great "a risk" to buy for Blackburn Rovers.

As England coach and star striker, Owen and Kevin Keegan had not always exactly seen eye to eye but when Keegan succeeded Allardyce in January 2008 they duly greeted each other like long lost soul-mates.

Watching Owen in a five-a-side, Keegan concluded that, now shorn of his old pace, he would be best deployed foxing defenders by coming from a deep lying, "in the hole" position. "I think Michael will end up a midfielder," claimed Newcastle's former manager. "He can link play and retain possession."

Deployed behind a front two Owen duly blossomed as relegation was avoided — but then Keegan departed, Joe Kinnear arrived, he got injured again and, finally, Alan Shearer declared him to still be an orthodox striker. A few games later Shearer changed his mind and dropped Owen, Newcastle were relegated and the striker took legal action against a report suggesting he was poised to retire in order to concentrate on his beloved race-horses.

Not for the first time, though, Owen seems poised to enjoy the last laugh with a move to Manchester United. It will, however, be intriguing to see whether Sir Alex Ferguson sees him as a striker or midfielder.

Today's chatter doesn't understand anything any more. Except Steel Panther

Cripes. The Mill was going to begin today with that Blackburn and Wolves are competing for the affection of Sol Campbell, but given the widespread gibbering about Michael Owen and Manchester United, we can't rule out the creaking former England centreback being the subject of a gargantuan offer from Real Madrid.

Truly, the news about Owen opens up a universe of possibility for the Mill. No longer will we have to painstakingly source tip-offs from clued-up contacts such as tabloid newspapers and graffiti on toilet walls, instead we can spew any old fantastical guff secure in the knowledge that you, discerning reader, may have to believe it. The Mill, then, is suddenly in a very powerful position. And as Spider-Man solemnly said, with great power come boorish and hypocritical newspaper editors.

So then, where will we say Xabi Alonso is going today? Well, the Real Madrid thing is old hat and amid suggestions that any transfer fee would – until mid-July - be much higher than originally reported because Liverpool have to pass 20% of it on to Alonso's previous employers, Real Sociedad, we've decided to claim that Manchester City are going to gazump the Spanish dreamers. Think Rafa Benítez would refuse to sell to City? Would you still think that if you knew Benítez has been told he can have the City job if Mark Hughes's team don't start the season much better than last term? Just wondering.

While he's still Liverpool manager Benítez will do his best to retain Javier Mascherano on Merseyside and that entails combating the Argentinian's reported homesickness by providing him with lots of compatriots to play with – including Gabriel Heinze and River Plate striker Falcao Garcia, even though he's not Argentinian but Colombian. But if that doesn't work and Mascherano heads off to Barcelona anyway, Benítez will replace the little chief with Didier Zokora, who shares his capacity to pass sideways and get one in every 85 shots on target. Sevilla want Zokora too.

We've saved today's best rumour for the middle, for no particular reason. Here it is in all its bewildering glory: AC Milan have gone off Emmanuel Adebayor and now have the hots for Peter Crouch.

That means Fulham won't get the gangly striker so will resort to brawling with Stoke for the services of forgotten Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari.

Tottenham are weak on the left hand side of midfield. So Tottenham want the excellent Michel Bastos from Lille, who will bring the bonus of increased menace from freekicks. Arsène Wenger, however, is hoping Bastos will draw on the experience of Emmanuel Petit and jump in a cab to Arsenal after being flown to London by Spurs.

Finally, if all this frothing about Owen turns out to be untrue it'll be because Manchester United are really after Luis Fabiano. Oh, and because Owen is an anachronism.

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• 29-year-old could have medical today
• United hope striker can rebuild career with champions

Michael Owen is on the verge of an astonishing move to Manchester United to supply some of the goals that have been lost in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leaving Old Trafford. Owen, recently linked with Stoke City and Hull City and written off in many quarters as a has-been, was holding talks with the Premier League champions and will complete one of the most unexpected transfers of the summer if he passes a stringent medical examination.

That is expected to take place today when, if everything goes according to plan, United hope to announce they are willing to take on a striker whose career had seemed to be in an irreversible tailspin. Owen is a free agent after coming to the end of his contract at Newcastle United and his stock has fallen so much over a dismal season that, until now, he has been linked only with clubs in the lower half of the Premier League table.

Owen even faced the ignominy this week of the Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, saying he would not try to sign him because the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player could not be guaranteed to play 30 games a season. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, appears to be untroubled by the forward's various injury problems and is keen to reunite him with Wayne Rooney, his former strike partner for the England national team until Fabio Capello decided that Owen was no longer worthy of a place in the squad. Everton have been monitoring Owen's potential availability but were informed that they had effectively been gazumped.

The transfer is likely to prompt a mixed reaction among United supporters given Owen's past with Liverpool and, more pertinently, the fact that he has become recognised as a player on the wane.

Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle, but he cost them £41m in total when putting together his wages and his transfer fee, and was dropped by the club's interim manager, Alan Shearer, during the run-in to their relegation. He has not scored since January and, as his reputation has plummeted, his representatives appeared to have had so little confidence in finding a major club that would be willing to sign him they produced a 32-page brochure to persuade prospective buyers that he was worth a punt.

Ferguson is unlikely to have needed a glossy supplement, however, to know all about Owen's ability, having closely followed his career since the player was at school. Liverpool got in ahead of United after Ferguson could not arrange a deal with the player's father, Terry, and sources close to the Old Trafford manager have indicated that he has always regarded Owen as one that got away.

Even so, it represents a significant gamble on the part of Ferguson given the way Owen, at 29, has become more synonymous with injuries and high wages than the goals that once made him one of the more feared strikers in European football. There have also been misgivings about Owen's commitment to his professional life, with the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, recently questioning whether the player was spending too much time indulging his love of horse racing.

None of these concerns appears to have registered with Ferguson, though, as he contemplates rebuilding his frontline in the aftermath of Ronaldo's £80m transfer to Real Madrid and the Manchester City-bound Tevez severing his ties with Old Trafford. Karim Benzema, the France international striker, has moved to Real Madrid and United have ruled out other attackers such as Samuel Eto'o and Franck Ribéry because of a long-term decision not to sign players aged 26 or older for large fees because of the way their potential sell-on transfer values would then drop.

United are so determined to keep to this rule that Dimitar Berbatov, who was 27 when he signed from Tottenham for £30m last September, has been described as the "last of his kind", but Owen's situation, as a free agent, means these restrictions do not apply. He is clearly intent on showing that he can still play at the highest level judging by his comments last week. "I've got skin thicker than 99.9% of the population and I have got used to it," he said. "I'll come back. I'll play well and score goals once more." Few could have imagined him doing so in a Manchester United shirt.

• City willing to double Terry's current salary
• Chelsea statement: 'John Terry is not for sale'

Manchester City are considering whether to return to Chelsea with an improved bid for John Terry after failing with an offer described as being between £25m and £30m for the England captain last night.

The official offer was faxed to Stamford Bridge after several months of planning in which City have been strongly led to believe that, despite all his claims to the contrary, Terry is intrigued by what is happening at Eastlands and would like, at the very least, to speak to the club's billionaire owners in Abu Dhabi.

City first inquired about Terry in the January transfer window and, as the Guardian revealed the following month, have been encouraged to maintain their interest after receiving strategic messages from close associates of the player. City are also willing to double his current salary.

A Chelsea statement issued just before midnight read: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has completely rejected an offer from Manchester City for John Terry. It was made clear to City, for the second time following an approach last season, that we would not entertain any conversation on the subject. At that time John also reiterated his total commitment to Chelsea. We would like to make clear, and will not do so again, that John is not for sale."

Chelsea are particularly unimpressed at what they consider, by City's standards, to be a paltry bid given Terry's standing in the game. City had initially considered offering Robinho in part-exchange when they started talking about how to persuade Chelsea to enter into negotiations last season, but that idea has been scrapped and for any deal to happen now depends on how determined Sheikh Mansour and his associates in Abu Dhabi are to get their man and, equally, how intent Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, is to keep them at bay.

City have already signed Roque Santa Cruz for £17m from Blackburn Rovers and Gareth Barry for £12m from Aston Villa, as well as putting in place a £25.5m deal for Carlos Tevez, now available after leaving Manchester United, and offering a similar amount for Samuel Eto'o, Barcelona's prolific Cameroonian forward.

• Rights issue could reduce club's £440m debts
• Jack Wilshere commits future to north London club

The Arsenal board of directors are to spend more time scrutinising a proposed rights issue put forward and underwritten by the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, the second biggest investor in the club, before they decide whether or not to support the scheme.

The issue was addressed at a board meeting yesterday with the directors listening to Usmanov's argument for adopting the scheme — which would potentially reduce the club's £400m debts and provide the manager, Arsène Wenger, with significant transfer funds — and discussing the proposals on the table.

Any decision either way, however, will only be made after a further period of reflection, with concerns persisting among some directors as to the real motives behind the plans.

There are fears within the club's hierarchy that the rights issue would ultimately prove a means of Usmanov, who owns 25% of Arsenal, gaining greater control at the Emirates. A decision is likely to be made next week over whether to take up Usmanov on his offer.

The Arsenal chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, had called for a salary cap in the Premier League to help encourage greater financial stability and yesterday Uefa responded by saying it would announce decisions on "financial fair play" at its next meeting in September, emphasising that clubs needed to cut their spending.

"The key principle on the road towards a fairer and more transparent game is that football should reward those clubs living within their means," Uefa said. "This means that clubs shall need to reduce their spending. To be viable, salaries and transfers should be proportionate to the generated income. Clubs should invest in their youth sectors, and use their homegrown talent to reinforce their squads."

Uefa's general secretary, David Taylor, said the proposals would be discussed with clubs, players and leagues at the next meeting of the Professional Football Strategy Council at the end of next month.

Meanwhile, Wenger has secured his hugely promising midfielder Jack Wilshere on a long-term contract. The 17-year-old, the youngest player to represent Arsenal in both the league and in European competition, followed Aaron Ramsey in committing his future to the Londoners.

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• Defender out of contract and concerned about club's finances
• Campbell angry that players like Glen Johnson have departed

Sol Campbell fears for the future of Portsmouth and warned the club they cannot start next season without new owners and stability in the boardroom. The captain is among a group of players who are out of contract and he says he will not entertain the idea of discussing a new deal until there is some resolution of the off-the-field turmoil around Fratton Park.

Portsmouth, who are at least £60m in debt, have sold many of their top players over the past 12 months, most recently Glen Johnson to Liverpool, and they find themselves in limbo, while the Dubai-based businessman Sulaiman al-Fahim explores the possibility of a takeover. Paul Hart remains as caretaker manager, although he is unsure about his future.

"Who knows who is going to be there as manager," said Campbell. "Is Paul Hart going to stay or is someone else coming in? We don't know. No one has a clue. The fans are fantastic but I really worry about the club. Glen Johnson has gone and there could be a couple of others going, so it's difficult. There's uncertainty and that's not the best thing for a football club. Hopefully they can sort it out before the start of the season because you can't have this carrying on into the new season."

The 34-year-old Campbell has attracted interest from Aston Villa, Sunderland, Villarreal and Fenerbahce, although Portsmouth have suggested they would like to keep him, albeit on a significantly reduced wage. "I don't know what the situation is behind the scenes but there are a lot of things to sort out before anyone can start offering contracts," Campbell said. "They really have to sort out the football side, although at least they know that their Premier League status is safe and financially they are sound for this year. If we hadn't stayed up last season, there would have been problems. Big time.

"I'm looking at all situations and there are a few offers out there. I want the best environment for me for at least the next two years. Play football, stability and no mucking around. I have to get the right package and make sure that the chairman, the manager, it's all proper. Where Portsmouth moves on from here, I don't know. It really depends on who comes in and at what capacity they come in."

Despite Campbell being the latest player to question the leadership at Fratton Park, Peter Storrie, the executive chairman, declined to answer the growing criticism. When it was suggested to Storrie that there was concern over the leadership, he said: "I'm making no comment to any press." It is thought that Storrie is involved in the day-to-day decisions of the club.

• Chelsea adamant that their captain is not for sale
• City keen to add Terry as they look to break into elite

Chelsea say they have dismissed an offer from Manchester City for John Terry. City have held a long-standing interest the Chelsea and England captain to their squad, but their bid has been met with a flat refusal.

A statement on Chelsea's official website read: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has completely rejected an offer from Manchester City for John Terry.

"It was made clear to City, for the second time following an approach last season, that we would not entertain any conversation on the subject."

Chelsea are adamant Terry is not for sale and remains solely committed to the club and has no intention of leaving, despite the riches that would be on offer in Manchester.

• Owner hoping to consider new offers over the weekend
• Players try to ignore turmoil after reporting back for training

As Newcastle United await the arrival of new owners and a new manager, Chris Hughton is striving to conjure an air of normality. While Derek Llambias, Newcastle's managing director, showed representatives of a Malaysian consortium around St James' Park today the caretaker manager insisted it was business as usual on the training ground.

Indeed Hughton maintains that his recently relegated players are perfectly capable of operating successfully in their own hermetically sealed world.

"In many ways it was no different to any other pre-season," said Hughton after welcoming his charges – Joey Barton included – back to training. "The boys went well, the mood was upbeat and I was pleased.

"The players want to get to work. They are professional enough not to let what is happening outside affect them. The focus now is on getting fit but they have looked after themselves well during the summer."

On Sunday Hughton takes Newcastle to Dublin for a week-long training camp culminating in their first friendly, at Shamrock Rovers. By then, Mike Ashley might just have managed to sell the club but nothing is certain.

Although there is no strict timetable for a sale, Seymour Pierce, the investment banker brokering the deal, hopes to receive an offer or offers from consortiums who have been performing due diligence on Newcastle by tomorrow. These will then be passed on to Ashley for the sports goods retailer – who wants £100m for the club – to consider over the weekend, and there may be significant developments by the middle of next week.

While four consortiums signed non-disclosure agreements ahead of entering due diligence, three expressed serious interest in a purchase and, of that trio, two would be keen to install Alan Shearer as manager. The favourites are thought to be an overseas consortium, quite possibly from the United States. Howev er there are several hurdles, both legal and financial, to be surmounted before Ashley finally exits, stage left.

Llambias flew to London with the Malaysians tonight and is believed to have spent the evening in discussions with them regarding a potential buy-out.