MICHAEL OWEN reckons the quality of the Premier League has dropped.
That’s because modern players only need TWO attributes to succeed in England’s top flight.
Owen, 43, is a Premier League icon and title winner after starring for Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke City.
The former England striker’s travels also saw him spend a year in Spain with Real Madrid.
Owen scored 222 club goals while he also netted 40 times in 89 games for the Three Lions.
And he now works as a pundit delivering his thoughts on the next generation of superstars.
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However, Owen is not that impressed with the current crop.
The 2001 Ballon d’Or winner believes players no longer need “real skill” to become a top footballer in the modern game.
Instead, Owen reckons that being an “athlete” who can “run a bit further”, while also being able to “pass the ball from A to B”, is enough to become a “top player” these days.
He told William Hill’s podcast Up Front with Simon Jordan: “Back in the day there were loads of great players that were absolute ballers, properly talented footballers.
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“Now, if you can just run a bit further than everyone else and pass the ball from A to B, then you can have a decent career in the Premier League. You don’t even have to be that good anymore.
“You used to have to have real skill and attributes to be a top player – you had to be a footballer. Now you have to be an athlete.
“If I was playing in today’s game I would be scoring at the same level as all of the top strikers. I absolutely believe that.
“You look at some of the players in my generation, Brazilian Ronaldo for example – is Erling Haaland really better than him? Thierry Henry is another.
“I love Haaland but can you really say that if you put Henry or Ronaldo in this Manchester City side, that they wouldn’t score at the same rate? Of course they would.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
