Ex-England man denies UAE link.
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Former England striker Michael Owen has denied that he is to come out of retirement to play for United Arab Emirates club Al Shabab Al Arabi, Sky Sports reports.
The 33-year-old bowed out of the game last week with Stoke City sparked speculation that he has due to prolong his career in the middle-east after attending a gala to honour the UAE’s 50 most influential Britons in Dubai last week.
However, he has put an end to the rumours by insisting that he is not prepared to do a U-turn and lace up his boots once again.
“My mind is pretty made up now,” he said.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while and football is not as much fun when you’ve been able to do it at a real high standard and then suddenly you’re finding it hard to reach those standards again. Your pride gets dented a little bit.
“I’m pretty sure it’s all finished. I’ve a few different businesses I’m looking forward to going into such as co-commentary and TV work. That should keep me busy and I’ve got a couple of other businesses representing young players and different bits and bobs, so I’m looking forward to a change of role now.”
He did also admit that coaching could be an option as he feels he has a lot to offer.
“Coaching is an obvious path to take after football. During my career I worked on my badges and passed the first two. I’ve still got a bit to go to be fully qualified to manage at the top level but as I stand now it’s not something I’ve got on my mind. I’m looking at doing other things.”