Michael Owen

Michael Owen - England Striker - World Cup 2006
squad no. 10

club: Newcastle United
position: Centre Forward
age: 26
caps: 77
goals: 36

Michael Owen is another established player who suddenly seems to have plenty to prove.

Firstly there's his fitness but Owen no longer appears to be quite the destroyer he looked eight years ago when he was fresh from his cot.

Michael's mandate is simple; score goals. He doesn't offer much else to the side but if he comes home with the golden boot and we make the last four then he will have done his job.

Football England Verdict
Rating: 4.50

An absolute disaster for little Michael. Not only was his World Cup a nightmare he now faces the possibility of a full season out of action.
Looked short of his best coming back from injury before breaking down in awful circumstances against Sweden. Ultimately it was his absence (and that of an adequate replacement) that cost England dearest with Rooney pushed on into an unfamiliar role and self destructing.

Weds, June 21
Owen's scan confirms everyones worst fears. He will be out for at least five months and England's World Cup hopes have taken a severe blow.
Obviously all we can hope for now is a complete recovery in time and that Owen comes back the player he was.

Sweden 2-2.
Football England rating: n/a
It would appear that Little Michael's World Cup is over after he managed to badly injure himself laying off a five yard pass with no-one near him in the opening seconds of this game.
If that is the case we are left very short up front.

Trinidad 2-0.
Football England rating: 5
Owen actually did better than against Paraguay with his general performance but spoiled everything by putting his easy chance wide.
He would have been gutted to see England improve so dramatically after he went off and would have been confident of scoring when we finally started getting balls into the box from advanced positions.
His place is now under serious threat.

Paraguay 1-0.
Football England rating 4
Sluggish and basically anonymous.
Wasted two good situations with complete lack of control and could not find top gear when chasing a promising early pass.
He brings nothing else than a goal threat so if he doesn't start hitting the net he will be a liability. He did look as though he was poised to head home the Beckham free kick before the defender did it for him and we can only hope that he gets off the mark against T&T.
Withdrawn early for "tactical reasons" there is a giant question mark hanging over Little Michael.

Check back here for Football England's Assessment of Owen's Performances and News.