Out-of-contract Michael Owen wants to stay at Manchester United

Posted Tuesday, May 31, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Striker unlikely to be offered contract extension
• 'I have loved every minute … hopefully it can continue'

Michael Owen is hopeful of extending his stay at Manchester United, despite a summer overhaul being on the cards at Old Trafford.

Michael Owen has told Manchester United he has no desire to leave the club despite the chief executive, David Gill, confirming there will be an extensive overhaul of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad this summer.

The 31-year-old striker is out of contract at Old Trafford next month and, along with Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov, is expected to discuss his future with Gill in the coming days. Owen is unlikely to be offered an extension to the two-year contract he signed on joining from Newcastle United in 2009, having started one Premier League game for the champions this season and made 33 of his 48 appearances for the club from the substitutes' bench. He is, however, content to continue in a peripheral role if required.

"I have loved every minute," said Owen, who qualified for a championship medal this season. "We have great players, great staff, a great manager and great fans. Hopefully it can continue."

Owen was speaking as United put aside their chastening Champions League final defeat by Barcelona on Saturday to parade the Premier League trophy in Manchester . Also on the open-top bus was Berbatov, the striker Owen ousted from the substitutes' bench at Wembley and who declined to watch the final with United's other uninvolved players.

United's record signing is another whose future at the club is in serious doubt, with just one year remaining on his current deal and the club yet to exercise a one-way option to extend his contract by 12 months. Berbatov did not speak to MUTV, the only media channel allowed on the bus tour, while Scholes discussed only the club's ambitions for a 20th league title next season and not whether he would have a part to play in it. The 36-year-old said: "Reaching 19 titles is not something you ever think about. All you want to do is win something. To go on like we have done is a great achievement. Now we want to stretch our lead even more."

The Premier League champions expect to complete the signing of the goalkeeper David de Gea from Atlético Madrid in the next few weeks, despite the club's new sporting director, José Caminero, insisting Edwin van der Sar's chosen successor "remains an Atlético player", and Luka Modric plus Ashley Young are also believed to be among Ferguson's targets. Gill said: "It will be a busier than usual summer this year. I will be going away at some point in June and be back for the start of our tour but I will be on with player stuff for the next few weeks I am sure."

Ferguson, meanwhile, believes it will take a cultural change – not simply new signings – for United and English teams in general to bridge the chasm in quality between themselves and Barcelona. "People have to understand the mechanics of the industry we are working in," he said. "We are only allowed to coach youngsters for an hour and a half, they [Barcelona] can coach every hour of the day if they want to. That's the great advantage they have got. It is a fantastic philosophy.

"We hope that in years to come our coaches will be able to spend more time with young kids, to teach them the basics, the technical abilities and the confidence to keep the ball all the time. We are good at it, but not as good as Barcelona at this moment in time. It is a wonderful challenge and we should always accept a challenge."