No Injury Setback For The "Clown Prince"

Last updated : 18 April 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor

Despite the media suggesting today that Owen has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury after he was left out of the reserve team that played the Smogs last night ... Roeder made his intentions known last week!

The 27-year-old made his comeback from knee surgery in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Gretna because Roeder wanted the right conditions in a match that would ease the England international back into fitness.

Roeder: "I have decided not to play Michael Owen, but any talk of him having a setback is complete and utter rubbish.

"Playing one practice match against Gretna at the training ground is not a recipe for putting them (Owen and Ameobi) in at the first opportunity in the next first-team game.

"But the important thing is it was a giant step forward for both of them.

"We will look at it next week, we will probably organise another game for them behind closed doors and if they do even better than they did this week, both of them will be getting very, very close to playing again for the first team.

"It is all about whether they are ready to play. It does not matter when that is."

Talk in the London-based newspapers is still about England's Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia on June 6, a match Freddy Shepherd insists Owen will not play in if the money wrangle is not resolved.

The Football Association, whose insurers have been paying almost half of the player's £103,000-a-week wages for the last 10 months, believe they have been more than fair to Newcastle.