The 32-year-old was released by Manchester United this summer
following the expiry of his contract, after making just 31 Premier
League appearances over three injury-hit years.
Owen had been linked with moves to former club Liverpool and their
Merseyside rival Everton before signing a 12-month deal at the Britannia
Stadium on Tuesday.
“It’s been a long summer, but I’m delighted and excited to be here,”
he told the club's official website. “I was taking my son back to school
today, and one of my daughters was going to school for the first time,
so I said to them ‘It’s like we’re all going to school for the first day
today!’
“That’s certainly how it feels when you’re meeting a lot of new
people. It’s only normal though, I’ve done it before and many players
have done it before.
“It will take me a while to meet everyone and to bed in, but I’m certainly looking forward to it.”
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid man, who has been plagued by
injury in previous seasons, also admitted he is unsure how fit he is
compared to the rest of his new teammates after missing out on
preseason.
“I know how I feel, but in many ways I’m unsure in terms of exactly
what stage I’m at compared to the rest of the squad,” he continued.
“They’ve had a long preseason, so it might turn out when I do a few
tests that I’m quite a bit behind or it might be that I’m further
forward than I thought – I just don’t know.
“I’ll have some tests over the next few days and gauge where I am, and hopefully I’ll be out there as soon as possible.”
Owen went on to praise the Stoke City fans, who regularly top surveys
as the loudest supporters in England, and admitted he cannot wait to
play at the Britannia Stadium.
“Obviously they don’t get 70,000 here, but it’s full every week and
pound-for-pound is definitely one of the noisiest in the country," he
added. “I can only speak for when I’ve played here, but it’s always been
like that. That’s certainly part of the challenge for me here and
something I’m looking forward to.”
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