Michael Owen Interview

Liverpool star Michael Owen has boosted the England camp with his defiant message of fitness after only a brief appearance for his club so far this season.

"I feel match fit now. I played a hard game at Mellwood and against Arsenal I was available for selection. It is just up to the manager. I am available for selection.. If he picks me then I'd have no problems about playing ninety minutes against Luxembourg and Poland."

"It's important that I get back playing soon. Maybe I could have played in one of the first few games of the season but the intention is to play forty games in a season and not two and then break down again." I've been playing now for two weeks and doing a lot of endurance work for four weeks before that. I feel ready and fit. There has been no reaction at all from the hamstring in training or whatever I do so I am available for selection."

"For me there's nothing better than putting the white shirt on for England and playing for England. I'd get worried if I wasn't like that."

The player has been to see a German specialist to take him through some new exercises and treatments for his leg injury which happened against Leeds United in a league game last April and ruled him out of three England games at the end of last season. Owen pulled up on a long sprint and described his new fitness regime.

"A lot of relaxation things. Massages and stretching and hot baths to get the blood really flowing through my back into my hamstrings. Before when I did it a lot of people have commented that I was tight around my waist area and maybe that was a contributing factor to pulling my hamstring. Generally keeping on top of loosening the hamstring."

"A lot of fast people tend to get hamstring injuries. You do use it a lot if you're a sprinter."

The 19 year old star has been frustrated but seemed happy to talk about his recent problems with fitness.

"For the last four months I have been dying to get my football boots back on and I have been doing a lot of training over the last month. Full training for the last two weeks and a match under my belt behind closed doors. To come on against Arsenal was quite a happy day for me."

"I have been playing a bit of golf and doing things you can't do really when you're playing. As regards fitness I have kept myself in good shape. I'm not one to go overweight so I am fit and I have been training for the last two weeks, fully with the team. That shows the hamstring has healed and I'm raring to go now.

"The injury was the mixture of a lot of things. It might have been that I have been playing for two years solid without much break in between. I haven't had a pre season to relax for a good few years. The year before last I was in Malaysia with the England under-20s. I haven't had a pre season to take much of a break. Maybe it was that tiredness factor after a long season. It was the end of last season when I did it. I have been given different exercises and things to do so hopefully it won't happen again."

The absence has given the striker time to think about his astonishing rise to fame in the world game.

"I've come back but I haven't been doing much for three months. I have just started working up again to full fitness. I have had a good break and hopefully it all takes off again like it did last time. You learn every day of your life. I sat down in here straight after the World Cup when we were playing Sweden and I said that I'll get interviewed about loss of form or whatever and you have got to accept that as a player. Everyone goes through that. You can think of hundreds of players who have been injured and I'm no different to them. You think you can play every game but you can't. I have come back now after a few months off and maybe it is a blessing in disguise."

Owen seemed relaxed about his superstar status. After the World Cup England arrived in Stockholm to play a Euro 2000 tie last September and the team hotel was besieged by fans as the press talked of 'mania' among the young fans.

"Football's gone like that. If a famous footballer from Brazil came into our country I think there would be millions of people waiting at the airport. It's great to be one of the stars of the England team. In Sweden it's just unfortunate we couldn't get a result out there. Now I've had the three months off I don't think you'd get that same reception. It doesn't worry me at all. You sit down and you've been out for three months then you can reflect on a few things. Hopefully you can get back to what other people thought of you which was quite highly. I've done nothing wrong in the past three months. I've just been injured."

The player remains intensely focussed on his job and responsibilities.

"I didn't become a professional footballer to get all the adulation. I became one to be successful for club and country. If I'm popular off the pitch then so be it. I don't come into work looking forward to getting mobbed or things like that. I come in to do well at football."

"I have never been distracted by anything off the pitch. I have always said and always done what's right. I have never put anything ahead of paying or training. I have been out for three months twiddling my thumbs wondering what to do next. So it was the right time to do some of those things. I have never put anything like that before my football and never will do."

Owen understands that he may not play both of the next two matches that England have to win to stay in contention for the Euro 2000 finals.

"I think managers have to be cautious. It's okay to play one game but people and managers want players back for good. There's no point risking it for one game. I was available for selection on Saturday. I've been training with the squad for two weeks and I have been training on my own with the physio for about a month. I have had no reaction so I want to play now. I've done all the hard work to get back to fitness.

Doubts continue to be expressed about his partnership in attack with veteran captain Alan Shearer.

"I have not lost sleep over me and Alan Shearer. Just the two World Cup games put an end to that really. Before you go into any game and you are playing with a new striker you think you have to gel and play well together. As soon as I have played with someone especially Alan Shearer that put my mind to rest straight after the Colombia game in the World Cup and we did okay as a pair there."

He was full of praise for his in-form Liverpool team mate Robbie Fowler.

"Robbie has had a great start to the season and he was brilliant against Arsenal. He has been playing well. He deserves to be in the squad and contending for a place. There is always a friendly rivalry between all the strikers in the camp. Everybody wants to be in the eleven and I'm no different. I want to be playing against Luxembourg and I'm sure so does Robbie and Chris Sutton as well as all the other strikers. We all find that but we are all good mates." Robbie is a great finisher. I don't think there's many like him. He is one of the best finishers in the world and he works hard to improve the rest of his game as well but as regards finishing he is great.

Owen has been pleased to see so many good players arrive at his club during the summer as Liverpool make an impressive start to the new campaign in his absence.

"I have got to know the new faces. It's been interesting in training again seeing what everyone can do and that has been good to see as there are a lot of good buys that we've got there now. I think you've got to adapt now there are so many signings nowadays. All the players we've had coming in have adapted well."

The young player can feel a change in his career after the explosive start to his career for club and country.

"Last season was hard. You come onto the scene and people maybe don't know what to expect from you and you can score a few goals because people haven't weighed you up. Last year people say that your second year is your hardest. I still scored the same amount. I was quite pleased with my goals tally and performances last year."