Kinnear Fears England Defeat Without Owen!

"But he is a terrific professional and I know that there will be no need for me or any of my coaching staff to have to lift his morale up.

"He is an experienced professional and he would not let any disappointment with England affect anything that he has to do with Newcastle United.

"Yes, I was surprised to hear Michael was not in the England squad. If you look at his goals record, it is probably better than some of those who are in the squad and in that respect, he is light-years ahead of them.

"Even if he had been on the bench for England in their World Cup games, he would have been a huge asset because he can assess the situation very well.

"In fact, I would go as far as the stake my life on Michael Owen, and I have to say that England's loss will be our gain.

"I only hope England do not lose any of these two games and people turn round and say leaving Michael Owen out was not the best thing to do."