Michael Owen has responded to Newcastle United fans on Twitter that have criticised his decision to leave the club in 2009.

The Magpies had been relegated to the Championship and with his contract expiring, the former England international took the opportunity to join Manchester United on a free transfer.

Having spent a lot of his four-year stint at St James' Park on the sidelines with a succession of injuries, a number of Newcastle supporters have taken to the social networking site to tell the 33-year-old that he should have been more loyal.

However, following his appearance on Football Focus earlier today, Owen has insisted that he was not offered a new contract by the club, whom he has accused of lying to the press.

"Newcastle fans, following my Football Focus interview, plenty of you tweeting me saying you don't blame me for getting injured but for leaving when we got relegated," wrote the current Stoke City striker. "Despite the club saying they did, they didn't ever offer me a new contract despite them putting it in the press that they did.

"How could they when they had just been relegated? It would have been financial suicide. I've seen it a million times, a club will blatantly lie to their fans to take the moral high ground leaving the player with no leg to stand on.

"I've taken the stick for years which is fine but you really don't know half of it. All will be revealed one day."

Owen announced earlier this week that he would be retiring at the end of the ongoing campaign.