Owen will get England call - Robson

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"It's crazy, it's like being in the Beatles! Everybody's screaming!"
Dimitar Berbatov is overwhelmed by Manchester United's magical mystery tour of the far east.

"Liverpool have The Beatles and Manchester have Oasis. I think Manchester has the better band."
Cristiano Ronaldo is not such a big Fab Four fan.

"I don't like John Terry and I never have. He's got funny eyes and he's a cry baby. He's also a Cockney."
Man City fan Noel Gallagher is uncharacteristically outspoken as he list the reasons why he doesn't want John Terry at Eastlands.

"When I heard the news I thought it was 1 April."
Harry Redknapp reacts to Sven-Goran Eriksson's surprise arrival at Notts County.

"The manager's a young lad who I've heard good things about. Charlie McFarland, he's a good coach...."
Redknapp on County's manager....Ian McParland.

"It's just not going to happen. Anything's possible in football, so they tell me. But the Premier League is getting so far away, they'll be playing on Mars soon."
Peterborough director of football Barry Fry on Sven's ambition to take Notts County into the top flight.

"It's not my fault that Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid wanted to sign me."
Emmanuel Adebayor claims the reason he left Arsenal for Manchester City was because Gunners fans had turned on him.

"When they play the ball looks round - with some teams it looks square."
Glenn Hoddle on why you won't catch Barcelona putting square pegs in round holes ahead of the Wembley Cup.

"I'm looking to spending more time with my family and watching Coronation Street. Corrie's a real favourite in our house - I love it!"
Freddie Flintoff believes retirement is right up his Street.

"I went down there and got called 'Clive Allen' after the former footballer because apparently I've had more clubs than him."
Hampshire's Dominic Cork recalls the day he turned up at his new county this season.

"We are talking about a net amount of about £60m. That's cash that can be reinvested in the squad, doing up the toilets or new carpets."
A spokesman for the Glazer family on why Sir Alex Ferguson is feeling flush.

"David only needed a slingshot and a stone to flatten Goliath, and I'm convinced my right hand generates more power than a stone."
David Haye hopes to live up to his namesake when he faces 7ft 2in Russian Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight crown in November.

"Haye is a young man with a big mouth. Let him talk."
But 'Goliath' is having none of it.

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Michael Owen insists he has nothing to prove - but believes Sam Allardyce and Dave Whelan may end up "embarrassed" about snubbing him publicly.

The Manchester United forward was left kicking his heels for a while this summer after leaving Newcastle and appeared likely to end up at Hull or Stoke until Sir Alex Ferguson took him to Old Trafford.

Blackburn boss Allardyce and Wigan owner Whelan distanced themselves from a move for the England striker - and Owen, 29, believes they will realise they were wrong.

"If that was how they were perceiving me, fine, because the greatest accolade I could have is that Sir Alex Ferguson didn't think about that," Owen told FourFourTwo magazine.

"I can quietly sit here and and look around where I am now - and if anyone else wants to look at what they've said, then they might feel embarrassed. I don't feel I have to impress these people.

"I only need to prove things to people who believe in me. I want to show Sir Alex was right to believe in me."

Owen is unfazed about the challenge of filling the gap left by the departures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"The team has lost two players - Tevez, who scored a few, and Ronaldo who got lots over the last two seasons," he said.

"There's a big hole to fill, and I hope I can help plug it in terms of goals. I can't do it on my own - but I will help out.

"When you sign for United you get excited about a lot of things. One of them, I hope, is scoring a lot of goals - because I am going to get a lot more chances here than at other teams."

Owen insists his international ambitions remain stronger than ever as he contemplates next summer's World Cup.

"My mind's been thinking about that since I was three years old in the back garden, and nothing has changed," he said.

"Winning the World Cup is the ultimate - it's still my dream."

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MICHAEL OWEN’S hopes of an England return are set to be dashed by Fabio Capello.

The Manchester United striker’s fine pre-season form for his new club had seen him tipped to earn a recall.

But Capello has decided he wants to see Owen scoring in competitive action, rather than friendly run-outs, before picking him.

The England coach announces his squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Holland in Amsterdam on Saturday. The Italian and his No.2 Franco Baldini saw Owen in action last night in a 2-0 friendly win against Valencia at Old Trafford.

United on his debut, claiming an 84th-minute winner after coming on as a second-half substitute in a friendly against a Malaysian XI.

He followed it with his second goal for the club on his first start two days later, against the same opposition, before hitting another two in an 8-2 win over Hangzhou Greentown.

But despite his efforts, Capello feels he needs to witness how the 29-year-old performs when the serious stuff starts, beginning with the Community Shield clash with Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.

Owen is attempting to revive his career with the Premier League champions after a nightmare spell with relegated Newcastle in which he managed just one strike in his final 17 appearances.

Owen has not pulled on an England shirt for 14 months, with his last appearance coming in the friendly win against Trinidad and Tobago last summer. Capped 89 times, Owen has scored 40 goals for England.

Meanwhile, claims that 17-year-old Jack Wilshere could be in line for a full call-up seem wide of the mark.

Wilshere impressed for Arsenal in their pre-season Emirates Cup competition at the weekend and was a surprise omission from the England Under-21 squad to face Holland in Groningen next Tuesday.

It is understood Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce is keen on a softly, softly approach with the midfielder following criticism of his handling of another Arsenal youngster, Theo Walcott.

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Michael Owen insists he has nothing to prove - but believes Sam Allardyce and Dave Whelan may end up "embarrassed" about snubbing him publicly.

Lol hopefully he can make them embarrassed~

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Owen blows his chance
Fabio Capello spent 80 minutes at Old Trafford and the England coach headed back to London having seen nothing that he did not know already. Wayne Rooney remains his best attacking player going in to World Cup year and Michael Owen and Ben Foster still have something to prove to him. Rooney was at his engaging, feisty best, his mood swaying gently from a little grumpy to rather angry and back again. Whether Owen can do enough to feature in the squad alongside the man with whom he has played 29 times for England remains to be seen. Capello has steadfastly ignored the 29-year-old so far but his pre-season form at his new club had done much to suggest that we may be about to witness the second coming of one of the country's most gifted goalscorers. On his Old Trafford debut - he was less convincing, missing two first-half opportunities and another shortly after half time just three days before the man in the directors' box names his squad for next week's friendly against Holland in Amsterdam. "He should have scored four," said Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. "But his movement was fantastic."
Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail

The Daily Express tips goalkeeper Ben Foster to take advantage of Edwin van der Sar's enforced absence and stake a claim for regular action with United and England. The Mail echoes this sentiment, claiming he will be fast-tracked into Fabio Capello's World Cup plans.

The Guardian raids the Valencia edition of United Review to quote Sir Alex Ferguson on the Reds' transfer activity: "Maybe it is the Scotsman in me but I believe in value, even when I am spending someone else's money, and the asking price for players we were looking at just wasn't realistic."

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Bryan Robson is sure Michael Owen can once again form a productive partnership with Wayne Rooney and win his place back in the England side.

Owen is unlikely to be named in Fabio Capello's England squad for next week's friendly with Holland in Amsterdam.

Although the 29-year-old has looked reasonably sharp in pre-season, Capello did watch him draw a blank against Valencia in midweek and with no competitive action under his belt, the odds are against a call-up.

However, former England captain Robson feels it is only a matter of time before Owen is selected again, particularly as he is confident both the former Liverpool man and Rooney can benefit from working together at Old Trafford.

"Four years ago people were raving about Owen and Rooney when they played together, so it would be a real bonus for everybody if they could get going like that again," said Robson.

"At Newcastle the team were having a bad time, which did not suit Michael's game. He had to keep coming back to the halfway line because the opposition had more possession.

"At United he will be on the front foot because they always have more of the ball, which just plays to his strengths.

"His timing and intelligence at finding space is as good as anyone's in the game.

"If he gets chances, he will score goals and I believe this move gives him a great opportunity to get back into the England squad."

Aside from the dilemma over Owen, the most interesting aspect of Capello's latest squad will be his goalkeeping trio.

Robert Green got the job for the less-than-taxing World Cup double-header against Kazakhstan and Andorra, yet there is an argument for the West Ham star not even making the squad this time around.

David James is Capello's established number one and has now recovered from a shoulder operation, so his selection would appear automatic.

The same could also be said of Manchester United's Ben Foster, who would almost certainly have been James' replacement had he not been forced to have surgery on a thumb problem.

It means Green will probably be battling it out with Joe Hart for the third slot.

Hart was an England regular - making his debut in the friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago in June 2008 - but lost his place when Shay Given arrived from Newcastle to oust him from the Manchester City side.

However, his loan move to Birmingham is bound to bring him back into contention, even if it would be extremely harsh on Green if he was shunted out at this stage.