Liverpool wait as Owen slaughtered by Madrid press

Michael Owen is edging closer to a return to Liverpool at the end of the season after a bitter media attack on him in Spain.

The England striker was branded the worst player on the pitch - with a mark of zero - by top Spanish sports paper Marca after his disastrous performance in Real's 1-0 defeat by Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday.

The article read: "Owen is not Henry. Owen is not Reyes. Owen is not Totti. Owen is not Drogba. Owen is not Adriano. Owen is not Figo. Owen is not Raul. Owen is not Zidane."

Real sports chief Emilio Butragueno insisted: "We are at a time when all of us have to stick together. Michael is one of our squad and we have great faith in him. We have confidence in Owen. I spoke with him and he seems in good spirits."

"He's only just arrived and all players need time to adapt. The same happened to Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo. If he stays calm everything will work out well."