It has been all the rage over the last year or more, to tag any young, nippy, up-and-coming striker as ‘The New Michael Owen’. We’ve had the Latvian Michael Owen (Marian Pahars), the Evertonian Michael Owen (Franny ‘Handbags’ Jeffers), The Something-or-other Michael Owen (Alan Smith), and even the Scottish Michael Owen (Mark Burchill).

Well now Logica have got in on the act with their very own Highburian Michael Owen. And whilst some of the above strikers show little resemblance to the Anfield pace-merchant, Logica’s Abbott has that many similarities to the Golden Child, it is truly uncanny. And just to reinforce this frightening pattern of almost identical traits, Abbott’s recent hamstring injury in the game against Queen Vic came just 8 days after Owen’s pull-up in Liverpool’s match at Southampton. Here are just a few of the amazing resemblances:

• They both play for a team called LFC.
• Both have struggled to find form this season, notching just two goals each in the major competitions.
• In their youth, both learned their trades on the cobbled streets of Cheshire whilst supporting successful Merseyside clubs.
• It was in World Cup competitions called France 1998 that both players announced themselves dramatically on the international stage.
• And even more uncannily, both players starred in 2-2 draws which ultimately saw their respective England teams’ eliminated from those competitions. Owen scored his wonder goal and was also fouled for a penalty as England crashed out on penalties after a 2-2 draw against Argentina in St Etienne. Meanwhile Abbott scored both goals in Bordeaux as England twice took the lead against Holland only to be pegged back to a 2-2 draw and subsequent elimination (they needed to win to qualify for the semi-final).
• Owen and Abbott both have first names beginning with the letter ‘M’.
• Both players have missed penalties in critical league games against south-west London opposition this season, matches which their teams have ended up winning. Abbott blasted wide from the spot in Logica’s 6-3 win over Wandsworth Town, whilst Owen followed suit in Liverpool’s 1-0 Premiership win against Chelsea.
• The two England forwards both play alongside strike partners at club level who are five years older than themselves (Fowler is 24 compared to Owen’s nineteen years, whilst Abbott and Spence are slightly older).
• Both players play under foreign managers.
• At international level, both Abbott and Owen have great difficulty establishing any kind of footballing understanding with ageing Geordie number nines who are getting quite slow in the twilight of their careers.
• Both players have regularly topped the scoring charts in recent seasons.
• Moderate ex-players have questioned the goal-scoring prowess of both marksmen. Glenn Hoddle questioned whether Michael Owen was a natural goal-scorer prior to France 98, whilst Abbott has had to put up with Sidaway rambling on endlessly in the international cyber-press.
• And now both players are suffering from hamstring injuries that are causing some experts to question whether they will ever be the same player again.