Dimitar Berbatov to step up and become Manchester United's focal point
After four years in the shadows, Michael Owen has been cast into the spotlight once more by the controversy, rancour and shock of a former Anfield hero's defection to Old Trafford.
Fabio Capello, sitting in the directors' box watching his home debut in Manchester United's friendly win over Valencia on Wednesday, is simply the most high-profile of 55 million fascinated observers.
Owen's move, a tale of risk and rebirth infused with a frisson of betrayal, has captured the imagination, not least of Sir Alex Ferguson, delighted at landing a player he has tracked for 15 years.
Yet the Scot is too pragmatic to allow romance to affect his decisions. Owen may be the story of the summer, but for Ferguson, it will be another striker who is the story of the season.
It almost seems strange to say that Dimitar Berbatov, the enigmatic Bulgarian of the insouciant penalty that handed Everton a place in the FA Cup final, is United's record signing. Ferguson is almost beyond criticism at this stage of his career, but one of the few failings generally attributed to him is an inability to spend big money well.
