The 24-year-old faces a tough job displacing Raul and Ronaldo but he also appears to be behind Fernando Morientes and Guti in the pecking order since Garcia Remon took over from Jose Antonio Camacho three games ago.

And Owen said: “I don’t have a crystal ball so I don’t know at what stage I should start being worried, but I would be worried if this continued right the way through the season. If that happened then obviously I’d have to ask questions about myself.

“At Liverpool I was first choice every week. What Raul is to the Real Madrid supporters, I was in a way to the Liverpool supporters. I was an important player. The big difference is that I’m not playing as much in Madrid.”

Owen’s concerns are exacerbated by the fact that Madrid do not play reserve-team football and the player is worried about the effect on his fitness, a potential problem brought into sharp focus by England’s World Cup double-header in less than a fortnight.

“I don’t want to carry on not playing,” he said.

“I’ve played a few matches for England and done a hard pre-season so I’m fit at the moment. But if it continued then it might be a bit more difficult and I might have more problems. I hope we don’t have to cross the bridge.”