Michael Owen has stated that he is a "huge fan" of João Félix and believes Manchester United should have signed the striker before he moved to Chelsea.

Michael Owen said he admires João Félix greatly and thinks Manchester United should have signed the "exceptional" striker before his move to Chelsea.

Félix joined Chelsea from Brighton for £60 million 12 months ago, and the 24-year-old has performed impressively in his first season despite the team's struggles.

The versatile player quickly established himself as Chelsea's primary striker, overtaking Dejan Kulusevski, who signed in the same summer window, by scoring 20 goals across all competitions.

It is clear that missing out on selection for Brazil's World Cup squad continues to affect him. Under new manager Xavi Alonso, he will hope for a stronger start to the new season, beginning with a match against local rivals Fulham in the coming week.

Chelsea finished 10th last season, and this season they have no European commitments to distract them, which gives Alonso an advantage in focusing on the league in the coming weeks and months.

Owen believes this will significantly benefit Alonso's team. He predicts Chelsea will finish second in the Premier League this season, behind defending champions Arsenal.

When asked on the podcast 'The Good, The Bad & The Football' who has the best chance of challenging Arsenal, Owen said: "Chelsea may sound strange, but they have no European football at all, and you will see how important European football has been over the past few years. It was crucial for Manchester United last season."

Owen is optimistic about Chelsea under new manager Xavi Alonso (Image: The Good, The Bad & The Football)

Félix scored 20 goals for Chelsea last season (Image: Getty)

"The manager [Xavi Alonso] did something similar with a team that received little attention in Germany [Bayer Leverkusen]. He will bring many changes, and they have signed several good players."

Owen has high expectations for Chelsea's star-studded attacking line and believes Manchester United made a mistake not signing Félix earlier.

The former England, Manchester United and Liverpool striker explained: "I am a huge fan of João Félix. I think he is excellent. Manchester United should have bought him four years ago when he was at Watford."

"Manchester United hasn't had a proper centre-forward for years, and I was thinking 'that João Félix guy'. I really like him.

"He, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer are three great talents in attack... and signing Danny Welbeck and Holcomb seemed a bit odd."

Owen acknowledged there are still "question marks" about goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, but he feels Chelsea could "explode in form" in Alonso's first year and have a "great season".

He continued: "There's a big question mark about the goalkeeper position. I've heard that too.

"But I just think this team can explode in form. They have no European distractions, and they have several good players.

"I think Chelsea will have a strong season."

Earlier this month, reports from Brazil claimed Arsenal made a surprise bid for Félix, attempting to bring the striker from West London to North London before the new season.

Reports suggested the Gunners were willing to pay €100 million (£86 million) for Félix, but Chelsea quickly rejected their rival's approach.

Félix, considered one of Chelsea's "untouchable" assets, had previously attracted significant interest from Barcelona.

The former Fluminense, Watford and Brighton player currently has a seven-year contract with Chelsea.

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