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Michael Owen insists he is still available for England and defends under-fire Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney
Experienced striker recovering from injury...
1 Jul 2010 21:26:00
By Chris Myson
Manchester United striker Michael Owen has said he is still available for England selection and will be looking to earn a re-call to the national side once he has fully recovered from his hamstring injury.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid player has not been in action for the Red Devils since he was injured as his side won the Carling Cup final 2-1 against Aston Villa in March, which turned out to be their only trophy of the season.
That injury, picked up moments after he had scored the equaliser at Wembley, ended any faint hopes Owen may have had of making England’s World Cup squad for South Africa, with Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Emile Heskey the four forwards eventually picked by Fabio Capello.
But despite the fact many observers have now closed the book on his international career, the 30-year-old insists he is still available for England selection after an impressive Three Lions career which has seen him score 40 goals in 89 caps.
"I obviously missed the tournament through injury, whether I would've been picked is another matter,” Owen is quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “I missed it because I wasn't available, but I have definitely not retired from international football and I would go back if I was called up.
"I went to the last three World Cups and a couple of European Championships so it's been really different this time.
"It was frustrating for me and for everyone. There were a lot of questions that came out of the tournament.”
Discussing his hamstring problem, Owen revealed he expects to be back to full fitness in time for the new Premier League season in August.
“Basically I tore my hamstring, it came apart,” he added. “We'll never know [if it was due to the Wembley pitch] but there were a lot of muscle injuries from that game and also from the next game that was played there.
“I had surgery to tie it back together and at this stage I am not sprinting but I am kicking balls.
“I will be ready for the start of the season though I might have to miss one or two pre-season games on the American tour.”
Owen was also keen to quickly defend Rooney after his club team-mate failed to score in four World Cup matches having initially been touted as one of the players expected to star on the global stage.
"People talk about Wayne after the World Cup because he is Wayne,” said Owen. “There were other players who didn't perform at the World Cup too, but people will inevitably focus on Wayne.
"He wasn't at the top of his game, for whatever reason - whether it was tiredness or because the rest of the team around him wasn't playing well.
"He wasn't at his best but we all know he's a world-class player. After a few weeks off he will be back and scoring again."
Looking ahead to the new season, Owen revealed that club manager Sir Alex Ferguson was as enthusiastic as ever in pursuit of further silverware.
“His as passionate as before and the whole place expects to win things,” he said. “If they don't win you just feel that extra expectation throughout the squad.”
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The former Liverpool and Real Madrid player has not been in action for the Red Devils since he was injured as his side won the Carling Cup final 2-1 against Aston Villa in March, which turned out to be their only trophy of the season.
That injury, picked up moments after he had scored the equaliser at Wembley, ended any faint hopes Owen may have had of making England’s World Cup squad for South Africa, with Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Emile Heskey the four forwards eventually picked by Fabio Capello.
But despite the fact many observers have now closed the book on his international career, the 30-year-old insists he is still available for England selection after an impressive Three Lions career which has seen him score 40 goals in 89 caps.
"I obviously missed the tournament through injury, whether I would've been picked is another matter,” Owen is quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “I missed it because I wasn't available, but I have definitely not retired from international football and I would go back if I was called up.
"I went to the last three World Cups and a couple of European Championships so it's been really different this time.
"It was frustrating for me and for everyone. There were a lot of questions that came out of the tournament.”
Injured in action | Owen scored a cup final equaliser but suffered injury moments later
Discussing his hamstring problem, Owen revealed he expects to be back to full fitness in time for the new Premier League season in August.
“Basically I tore my hamstring, it came apart,” he added. “We'll never know [if it was due to the Wembley pitch] but there were a lot of muscle injuries from that game and also from the next game that was played there.
“I had surgery to tie it back together and at this stage I am not sprinting but I am kicking balls.
“I will be ready for the start of the season though I might have to miss one or two pre-season games on the American tour.”
Owen was also keen to quickly defend Rooney after his club team-mate failed to score in four World Cup matches having initially been touted as one of the players expected to star on the global stage.
"People talk about Wayne after the World Cup because he is Wayne,” said Owen. “There were other players who didn't perform at the World Cup too, but people will inevitably focus on Wayne."He wasn't at the top of his game, for whatever reason - whether it was tiredness or because the rest of the team around him wasn't playing well.
"He wasn't at his best but we all know he's a world-class player. After a few weeks off he will be back and scoring again."
Looking ahead to the new season, Owen revealed that club manager Sir Alex Ferguson was as enthusiastic as ever in pursuit of further silverware.
“His as passionate as before and the whole place expects to win things,” he said. “If they don't win you just feel that extra expectation throughout the squad.”
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|
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