Michael Owen reveals which Manchester United player failed to live up to expectations

He won four Premier League titles, one Champions League, Club World Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, and made 181 appearances over eight season.

When reading Michael Owen’s comments on Anderson you will probably think to yourself: ‘wait a second, the lad didn’t do too bad for himself’ but even us fans expected him to become a better player during his time at Old Trafford.

Anderson’s CV speaks for itself, but he probably could have been a better player given the potential he arrived with from Portuguese giants FC Porto.

After leaving United at 26-years-old to spend a brief spell in Serie A, Anderson returned to his native Brazil. He wasn’t long back before footage appeared online going viral with Anderson, then playing for Internacional, when he was substituted off after 36 minutes and in need of oxygen after suffering from the effects of playing at high altitude (3,600 metres above sea level).

This went hand-in-hand with claims among United fans for years that Anderson was overweight. A joke that dragged on, although unfair but probably true.

By the time Owen arrived at United, Anderson had three Premier League medals but there was a growing frustration that he was capable of so much better regarding performances.

The two players spent three seasons together, so Owen’s view of Anderson is worth taking note of.

Speaking exclusively to SportsJOE, Owen said: “He was very talented, was Ando.

“Without being too general, he’d have that Brazilian attitude. He was a pretty relaxed guy. Maybe too relaxed at times.

“He loved being out there with a ball at his feet but he did not bother about weights, or anything really. Him getting back from injuries was often a slow process.

“He was a really good player but if he had that driven mentality, he could have been great.”

With United facing Arsenal on Sunday, a team Anderson thoroughly enjoyed playing against, it is worth reading why from a recent interview the former United midfielder gave Andy Mitten for ESPN.

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