Do Liverpool Fans Have the Right to Call Michael Owen a "Traitor"?

Michael Owen recently completed his "not-so blockbuster move" to Premier League Champions, Manchester United.

Owen became a free agent after his contract with the relegated Newcastle United expired earlier this month.

Owen insisted he was keen on returning to the Premier League which brought about reported interest from the likes of Hull City, Stoke, Everton, Aston Villa, and even the likes of Liverpool were thought as potential suitors of the player who eventually joined the Red Devils.

The former Real Madrid striker is keen to stage a comeback for the England ahead of next year's World Cup Finals in South Africa and believes Manchester United will provide him with the platform needed to impress Fabio Capello.

It will also give Owen a chance to form a partnership with England striker, Wayne Rooney, for which his form and fitness will need to be at a higher level than United's Bulgarian frontman, Dimitar Berbatov.

Manchester United haven't exactly matched Real Madrid's stunning spending spree which helped them capture the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Raul Albiol but then again, who can?

Despite the high profile departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, Sir Alex Ferguson hasn't exactly replaced them with world-class players, but knowing Ferguson, who has been the at the helm of the Red Devils for over two decades, he surely knows what he's doing.

Wigan's Antonio Valencia impressed Sir Alex over the course of last season and the Scot has brought in the Ecuadorian winger to replace Ronaldo, who joined Madrid for a staggering 80-million pound fee.

Micheal Owen has signed a "pay-as-you-play" deal which makes him an absolute steal, many have questioned United's decision to sign the ex-Liverpool forward but the basic facts remain that Owen is quality striker with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level which leaves his susceptibility to injury as the only negative aspect of the transfer.

Manchester United have also completed the signing of relatively unknown French winger Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux on a four-year contract.

Owen's move to Old Trafford has sent shock waves around the footballing world. Liverpool fans in particular have blasted the player for joining their arch-rivals.

Reports suggest members of the official Liverpool supporters club have inaugurated a petition to bring down Michael Owen's picture from the wall of Anfield "Legends".

Other lads from Merseyside believe Michael Owen is a "traitor" for joining Liverpool's rivals.

Now let's investigate whether these claims are valid, or not.

Michael Owen is from Chester and not from Liverpool which doesn't really qualify him as a "local lad" but Owen did begin his professional career with the Reds after leaving the youth team of Mold Alexandra.

Owen became a part of Liverpool at the tender age of 14 and went on to score over 200 goals for the club before moving to Real Madrid in 2004.

His legendary status at Anfield therefore remained preserved despite his return to England with Newcastle United, only after a season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Club Loyalty" hasn't exactly been at its prime since Paolo Maldini and Francesso Totti became role models at AC Milan and AS Roma respectively.

Manchester United fans might have similar chants for Carlos Tevez once he completes his move to either Manchester City or Chelsea.

Obviously, there can't be a clear verdict so I'm leaving an open debate—is Michael Owen a traitor for joining Manchester United?