Owen won´t just warm the bench, says Pulis

Stoke manager Tony Pulis insists that he expects new signing Michael Owen to be more than an impact sub at the Britannia Stadium.

Owen joined Stoke on a free transfer on Tuesday having been released by Manchester United upon the expiry of his contract earlier in the summer.

And Pulis expects him to play an important role for the club once he has gained the fitness required to start Premier League matches.

“Michael’s got the bit between his teeth and wants to play,” he said.

“He’s more than just an impact sub. We want Michael to get himself fit, in the team and playing regularly again.

“We’ll assess his fitness levels over the next three days and take it from there. It’s important we see what level he’s at before we push him.”

The 54-year-old boss said Owen was worth taking a gamble on despite the limited amount of football he played at Old Trafford.

Pulis does not doubt the 32-year-old’s ability to score goals in the top flight and felt he could have played more games for United than he did.

“We’re delighted with the deal we’ve got and feel it’s well worth taking a chance with a player like Michael for all sorts of reasons,” he said.

“We believe, once he’s match-fit, that he’ll prove he can still score goals in the Premier League.

“People say he played only one Premier League game last season but he was available for a lot more United games but wasn’t selected.”