Rory Delap: Michael Owen will bring a ‘winning mentality’ to Stoke City

Rory Delap believes Stoke City’s new signing Michael Owen will bring “a winning mentality” to the Potters.

The 32-year-old completed a free transfer to the Britannia Stadium outfit on Wednesday after being released by Manchester United back in May.

“Michael has been at big clubs all his career and bringing that experience into the dressing room can only help,” Delap told Sky Sports.

“It’s getting that winning mentality that all the big clubs have.

“Teams at the bottom of the table still want to win, of course they do. But it is a case sometimes of working out how to win.”

The former Liverpool striker, who has signed a one-year deal at the Britannia Stadium, has scored 149 Premier League goals, and Delap considers Owen to be one of the English top flight’s best finishers.

“In terms of goalscorers, Michael Owen is up there with Robbie Fowler and Alan Shearer, and I would put Ruud van Nistelrooy into that category as well,” he added.

“Shearer could score any type of goal while Owen and Fowler could pop up and nick a goal out of nothing. That sort of natural talent is hard to coach into someone.

“As for Michael Owen, he is so incredibly sharp. You think you are safe and are showing him away from goal, but then he can turn and score from nowhere. There aren’t too many players with that ability.

“Also, there was his pace off the mark. He was up to full speed off a couple of strides. He has always been a yard ahead of people with his brain, not just his pace.

“He’s a natural goal scorer and players don’t lose that. They might lose a yard of pace, but that natural instinct to score goals will still be there.”