A survey of supporters has revealed that, at best, the Bernabeu faithful expect Owen to be a fixture in the team for fixtures in the Spanish Cup, a competition which carries little of the same prestige as the FA Cup.

The news is worrying for Owen, who in the eyes of many has been pushed down to fifth-choice striker at the Bernabeu following the near £40million investment in Julio Baptista and Robinho this weekend.

Only 12% of supporters picked Owen in their ideal Madrid team for the Primera Liga and Champions League season ahead, with Ronaldo included by 91% in a variety of forward lines.

The ongoing survey, by the newspaper Marca, is a further indication of how Owen faces a crisis ahead of the new campaign.

He started last season as third choice behind Ronaldo and Raul, and on the same level as Fernando Morientes who left to join Liverpool in January.

However Owen's starring roles as substitute led to his promotion to the first team, with the fans embracing the England man as he finished the campaign with 13 league goals from 20 starts.

Their position has changed with the buying spree which Real boss Wanderley Luxemburgo has predicted will continue, and Owen now faces a choice: stay and fight for his place again, or return to England for guaranteed first-team football in a season which climaxes with the World Cup.

Real are reportedly ready to open the door for Owen to return to the Premiership.

Manchester United are set to head the race with an £11m bid according to reports.

Owen's former club Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle have also been linked with the 25-year-old forward.

A senior source at Real told the Sunday Times they would not stand in Owen's way if they received a bid for him.

The source said: "Michael is popular with the fans and he is popular within the club.

"But if he comes to us and says he believes the best thing for him is to leave, we will have to respect that.

"He has been a great servant to us, we will treat him with the utmost decency and respect.

"And in the event that he decides to go, while obviously looking out for our own interests, we will be sure to look out for his too."

A transfer to Manchester United would bring Owen together with his England strike partner Wayne Rooney, although it would prove unpopular with Liverpool fans. If he doesn't come home to Anfield I'd like to think he'd join Arsenal

Ferguson might have to sell players to finance the move, with midfielders Phil Neville and Kleberson possible candidates along with striker Louis Saha.

Arsenal could also be tempted to move for him, having seen Baptista taken from under their noses by Real after coming close to sealing a £14m move.

The £7m arrival of Peter Crouch at Liverpool makes it unlikely manager Rafael Benitez would consider taking Owen back to Merseyside.

Newcastle are in the market for a striker, but they cannot offer Owen Champions League football.

Meanwhile, Owen finds himself in surprising company, with club legend Raul also relegated to a bench role by most fans, while Luis Figo hardly featured in any first-choice sides, with his departure considered inevitable.

There was more encouraging news coming out of the survey for Owen's fellow Englishmen David Beckham and Jonathan Woodgate.

From their early results, Marca formulated a team which they claimed was the standard line-up selected by approximately 90% of fans, and both England internationals were included, as was former Everton midfielder Thomas Gravesen.

The news will be welcomed by Woodgate, who joined from Newcastle last year but has yet to play for Madrid. He has been sidelined by a thigh injury since April 2004 but is expected to return to action within weeks, and fans backed him to partner Ivan Helguera in the centre of defence.

Here is the fans' choice team from Marca's survey:

Iker Casillas, Michel Salgado, Ivan Helguera, Jonathan Woodgate, Roberto Carlos; Thomas Gravesen, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Julio Baptista; Ronaldo, Robinho.