After a slog of a season, spent sweating in the gym rather
than scoring goals, Michael Owen is due to resume full first-team
training with Newcastle United within the next 12 days. As he
accelerates his comeback from knee surgery, the England striker may
now feasibly play some part in his clubs Barclays Premiership game
at home to Chelsea on Sunday, April 22.
Owen, 27, has not kicked a ball in anger since severely damaging
his anterior cruciate ligaments in the fourth minute of his
countrys 2-2 World Cup finals draw with Sweden last June. Yet he
is now a regular participant in Newcastles warm-up sessions at
their Longbenton training centre, before continuing his
rehabilitation and undertaking shooting practice.
While Glenn Roeder will put no public timeframe on Owens return to
the Newcastle side, the manager is enthused by what he has
witnessed on the training ground. Michael is now joining us in our
football warm-up for the first time since he was injured last
June, he said. He is now taking part in 30 minutes of football
with us every day.
After that, when the intensity increases, he goes off to continue
his work with our rehab coach John Green who, as he did with Kieron
Dyer, has done a fantastic job with Owen. I watched as Michael was
striking the ball into an empty net yesterday and, believe me, it
was great to see. By a week on Monday, Michael Owen will be back
in full training with us and he will be treated no differently than
any other player in our first-team squad.
That schedule would allow him nearly two weeks of training before
Chelsea arrive at St James Park and a possible place on the
substitutes bench. It would also increase the chances of Owen
starting for England in their European Championship qualifying
match in Estonia on June 6. Earlier this week, Freddy Shepherd, the
Newcastle chairman, insisted that Owen will not be rushed back
just so that he can play for England in the summer.
