I believe the word is ‘bombshell’.

United fans across the world were still digesting the news of Karim Benzema’s decision to join Real Madrid, rather than act on alleged interest from Old Trafford, when the wheels were set in motion on one of the most astonishing transfer stories of the summer.

The odds on Michael Owen joining United took less than 12 hours to plummet from 20/1 to 4/9. Still, it was dismissed as nothing more than fanciful by the majority of supporters on message boards and fan sites.

As the rumours gathered credence, with more and more news agencies running with the story, the scoffs soon died out. It’s undoubtedly a polemic issue: for years Owen was regarded as the finest English goalscorer of his generation, yet his nightmare spell at Newcastle has done little to uphold that reputation.

Let’s start with the business angle. There's no transfer fee and reports suggest his wage would be highly incentivised and greatly reduced from the astronomical fees he commanded at St James’ Park. So, nothing ventured, something gained, perhaps. Should he sign for the Reds and fail to impact, he won’t be regarded as an expensive flop.

The tabloids’ claims that United were pipped to Benzema’s signature seem to carry weight. For all the talk of Ribery, Villa, Aguero et al, the massive majority of the names thrown into the transfer blender are either too old, too expensive or both. If indeed Benzema was the Reds’ primary transfer target, a move for Owen is a quick, decisive reaction to missing out.

It makes a lot of sense, really. There would be no point in splashing out big money on a player Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t regard as good enough to make his first choice.