Owen convinced he's back to full fitness
A crunching tackle from John Terry convinced Michael Owen that his six-month injury battle was finally at an end.
Terry and Owen clashed in an England training session and, as the Newcastle striker picked himself up, he knew the broken bone in his foot had healed properly.
All doubts fled from his mind and England’s top goalscorer was able to look forward to his third World Cup finals.
Owen, 26, said: “John Terry did hit me with a tackle. He normally bursts in. But I’ve known all along I would be ready.
“The only time I’ve had a little bit of doubt was when the surgeon rang me up and said: ’I think you should have another operation’, in February or March.
“That was probably when I had my main bit of doubt but I’ve always known that I’d be fit.”
Owen broke a metatarsal bone in an innocent collision with England keeper Paul Robinson when Newcastle played Tottenham on New Year’s Eve.
The striker’s recovery was set-back when he needed a second operation and he suffered another scare when he returned as a substitute for Newcastle last month.
He reported discomfort in his foot near the area where the bone had been pinned.
But metatarsal injuries are commonplace in the England dressing room and he had plenty of fellow sufferers to consult.
Owen said: “I asked Ashley Cole how he felt and he said exactly the same, that he had one painful feeling that kept him out for a week or 10 days and since then the pain has gradually gone.
“I can compare mine with his. It’s exactly how it felt. The surgeons said it was just scar tissue pulling away for the first time and it’s been absolutely perfect since.
“I don’t think that I’ve lost a bit of my touch in training. I know where the goal is and I’ve been scoring a few and playing well.
”We’ve done plenty of fitness tests and all the results have been more positive than before previous tournaments.”
