Owen to undergo hernia operation
Owen looks set to sit out England's crucial qualification clashes
Tuesday, 25, Sep 2007 10:30
Michael Owen will undergo surgery for a hernia problem on Friday, throwing his availability for England's forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers into serious doubt.
The Newcastle forward will go under the knife in Germany after limping out of two successive league games for the Magpies.
Owen has been dogged by injury since he ended his time at Real Madrid with a £16 million move to St James' Park in 2005.
A broken metatarsal ended his first season in December and his World Cup return the following summer was short-lived as a knee ligament injury in the group game against Sweden ruled him out for another year.
The news will also come as a serious blow to England coach Steve McClaren who saw Owen spearhead England's wins over Israel and Russia with three goals in the two games.
England face Estonia at Wembley on October 13th before heading to Moscow for a tricky return match against the Russians four days later and it is extremely unlikely that Owen will recover in time for either tie.
Emile Heskey, the other half of McClaren's strike partnership from their recent wins, is already sidelined with a broken metatarsal sustained in his first game back for Wigan.
Although Wayne Rooney has returned for Manchester United, McClaren's other attacking options, such as Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent, Andy Johnson and Peter Crouch, are all struggling for form.
Dean Ashton, who has only just recovered from a broken ankle he suffered in international training in 2006, could make a surprise debut after some strong performances for West Ham in recent weeks.