Michael Owen: Stoke City striker open to management role in future

Michael Owen says he is open to moving into management or coaching when he retires from football.

The 33-year-old Stoke striker revealed on Tuesday that he will quit playing at the end of the current campaign.

Owen, who has played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle and Manchester United, plans to continue with punditry work and will launch his own management company, but is still open to offers.

"I have not closed the door on management," Owen told Football Focus.

"I find it hard to say no to people. If someone offers you a good job, I'd think, 'I would love to do that'."

Owen says being unable to command a regular place at Stoke prompted his decision to retire at the end of the season. He has scored once in seven appearances for the Potters this term.

The former England international has been blighted by injury problems during his career, which began at the age of 17 with Liverpool.

Owen made 297 appearances during his time at Liverpool and was a regular starter for the Reds from 1997.

"I did not have a break for years and years," Owen said. "That is something I would advise young players now to guard against."

The ex-Manchester United forward believes he may have played too many games during his formative years as a professional and hinted he could have been able to prolong his career had he begun it at Old Trafford, where he might have played less frequently early on.

However, he insists he has no regrets about his choice of joining Liverpool, where he won the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.

Asked whether he might have had a longer career had he started at Manchester United, Owen said: "If you want an honest answer, then it is probably a yes.

"I had the choice to join Manchester United when I was a kid but I chose Liverpool. Yes, I could be playing a bit longer, might have had a few more medals in a pocket but who knows? I would not swap my time at Liverpool - they were my best years."

In the BBC One interview, Owen discussed his disappointment at being viewed negatively by some Newcastle supporters over his injury problems at the club, and he subsequently took to Twitter to say he was never offered a new contract by the Magpies who released a statement in 2008 saying he was offered a new deal before the 2008-09 season.

Owen joined the club in 2005 for £17m from Real Madrid but left on a free in 2009 when the club was relegated from the Premier League, joining Manchester United for the following season.

He wrote: "Newcastle fans, following my Football Focus interview, plenty of you tweeting me saying you don't blame me for getting injured but for leaving when we got relegated.

"Despite the club saying they did, they didn't ever offer me a new contract despite them putting it in the press that they did.

"How could they when they had just been relegated? It would have been financial suicide. I've seen it a million times, a club will blatantly lie to their fans to take the moral high ground, leaving the player with no leg to stand on.

"I've taken the stick for years which is fine but you really don't know half of it. All will be revealed one day."

Newcastle were not willing to comment on the matter.