Owen signed a new one-year contract with United in the summer, but insists he is not happy to just sit in the stands and pick up his wages.
“I’m not content if I’m not playing and I don’t want anybody to think that,” said Owen. “I get criticised a lot by people who say I don’t play, but I pick my money up. I’m not proud of that fact. I want to play all the time.
“There’s nothing from me in terms of any anger. I’m pleased and proud with the way I played against Leeds.
“I obviously know my position in the squad. We have got some top strikers and it is no shame on me that we’ve got the likes of Wayne Rooney, Chicharito, Danny Welbeck and Dimitar Berbatov. That’s not a negative on me in any way.
“I appreciate there are some top players in the team and the squad, so it’s challenge to get on the bench, let alone the team.”
“The first season was fantastic and I played in loads of games and had some great moments – like scoring in the cup final,” he continued. “There was also the Wolfsburg hat-trick and the goal against Man City. I had some great highs.
“Then, last year, I qualified for a medal and played in a dozen games in the Premier League as well as the cups. It was probably not quite enough to be content, but we won the league and obviously that was a first for me and fantastic.
“If the season was going to be like the first season I was here, I would be delighted. That was fantastic, I felt involved. I was always on the bench or playing or coming on and I want to be involved like that again.
“I’ve got a few years left and I would love them to be at Manchester United. For that to happen, I would need to be involved because the manager would not want me if I was not part of the squad.
“Now we’re getting two games a week, so this really is where the season starts for me – and a lot of players who haven’t had a kick yet.”
Owen scored a brace in the Carling Cup clash with Leeds United on Tuesday.
“I’ve had some massive games in my career, but you almost feel yourself getting nervous more these days. I hadn’t started a game since January,” he added.
“I still feel I have to prove myself every time I play. If I was playing every week, you could afford a bad game here or there because you can always score one in the next game and nobody will remember your bad games.
“But this was my first match of the season and if I hadn’t played well, I would have had a long time to stew on it.”
