Owen admits England may have to wait

England player Michael Owen plays against Russia during a European Championship 2008 Qualifying Group D match at Wembley Stadium in London, 12 September 2007. Owen admits he may have to miss England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers if his recovery from two operations takes longer than expected.

Michael Owen admits he may have to miss England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers if his recovery from two operations takes longer than expected.

Owen, 27, had the surgery in Germany on Friday to cure a stomach problem which could have caused a hernia. The Newcastle forward is also recovering from a torn adductor muscle in his groin and was initially ruled out of England's matches against Estonia and Russia in October.

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce hinted on Saturday that Owen could be back for the qualifiers, but the former Liverpool star is taking a cautious approach.

"I shall cling to the hope I can play for England but people must accept that Newcastle have to come first at the moment," Owen told the News of The World. "I don't want to tempt fate by making a premature forecast.

"Medical advice will decide how quickly I will be back in action. I'd rather remain cautious at this stage than set any unrealistic targets.

"But in the back of my mind, before I had the surgery, I had focused on Newcastle's October 22 Premier League game against Tottenham - the first after the international break - for a possible return.

"Anything before that, including England's two Euro qualifiers against Estonia and Russia, would be a bonus.

"I know it is going to be the subject of national debate as to whether I will be fit to help England qualify for next year's European Championship finals but let's adopt a little bit of caution and see how the next 10 days unfold.

"Newcastle pay my wages and I have missed far too many games since joining them to put them at the back of the queue as far as priorities go."