Newcastle decide on Owen

Manager Sam Allardyce has said that Newcastle United will decide whether striker Michael Owen is fit to play for England in this month’s Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia.

The Newcastle boss has said, "A decision like that is taken by me, the club doctor, the head of sports medicine, the senior physiotherapist, the person who reads the scan and the specialist.

"The FA and Steve McClaren are not involved. It's a Newcastle United decision.

"There's no one more qualified than the staff at Newcastle to know what Michael's condition is and if and when we ought to be doing anything about it. My job is to get him fit to play for Newcastle. If he's fit for us, it means he will be fit for England."