England and Newcastle United striker Michael Owen could be returning to Liverpool in the January transfer window, with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez yesterday refusing to rule out the possibility of Michael Owen making a return to Anfield.

Rafa did try to sign the England international in the summer when Real Madrid started inviting offers, but because the Liverpool board refused to pay over the odds for him, Owen was forced into opting for a brief spell with Newcastle to keep his fitness for the World Cup finals.

It seems that Benitez hoped that Owen would reject the chance to play for Newcastle, and would instead sit on the bench at Real Madrid until January when Liverpool would have paid a lot less for him.

Naturally Benitez was a little annoyed that he chose to move to the north east, even though Owen at the time said he favoured a move back to his home club.

When asked if he thought Michael Owen could play for Liverpool again while he was in charge, Benitez grinned and said: “Why not? He's a good player and good players are always interesting for everyone, for every club.”

Rafa also added that he would have been “delighted” had Owen returned to Liverpool in the summer.

From this, it would not be a major surprise if Owen were to return to Liverpool in the coming weeks, with the possibility of France striker Djibril Cisse moving on to another club, even though Cisse has spoken of his desire to stay at Anfield.

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