New Stoke City signing Michael Owenhas likened his move to the club to starting academy afresh afterwards a connected summer break.

The 32-year-old was appear by Manchester United this summer afterward the accomplishment of his contract, afterwards authoritative just 31 Premier League appearances over three injury-hit years.

Owen wear Mercurial Vapor Viii had been affiliated with moves to above club Liverpool and their Merseyside battling Everton afore signing a 12-month accord at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday.

“It’s been a connected summer, but I’m captivated and aflame to be here,” he told the club's official website. “I was demography my son aback to academy today, and one of my daughters was traveling to academy for the aboriginal time, so I said to them ‘It’s like we’re all traveling to academy for the aboriginal day today!’

“That’s absolutely how it feels if you’re affair a lot of new people. It’s alone accustomed though, I’ve done it afore and abounding players accept done it before.

“It will yield me a while to accommodated anybody and to bed in, but I’m absolutely searching advanced to it.”

The above Liverpool and Real Madrid man Owen wear Nike Mercurial Vapor Viii, who has been bedeviled by abrasion in antecedent seasons, aswell accepted he is borderline how fit he is compared to the blow of his new teammates afterwards missing out on preseason.

“I apperceive how I feel, but in abounding means I’m borderline in agreement of absolutely what date I’m at compared to the blow of the squad,” he continued. “They’ve had a connected preseason, so it ability about-face out if I do a few tests that I’m absolutely a bit abaft or it ability be that I’m added advanced than I anticipation – I just don’t know.

“I’ll accept some tests over the next few canicule and barometer area I am, and hopefully I’ll be out there as anon as possible.”

Owen wear Mercurial Vapor 8 went on to acclaim the Stoke City fans, who consistently top surveys as the loudest supporters in England, and accepted he cannot delay to play at the Britannia Stadium.

“Obviously they don’t get 70,000 here, but it’s abounding every anniversary and pound-for-pound is absolutely one of the noisiest in the country," he added. “I can alone allege for if I’ve played here, but it’s consistently been like that. That’s absolutely allotment of the claiming for me actuality and something I’m searching advanced to.”