Monday, 22nd February 2010

Manchester United summer signing Michael Owen has all but given up hope of making England’s World Cup squad. The 30-year-old has scored only seven goals for the Premier League champions in 29 appearances, most of which were substitute cameos. His most impressive performance was a hat-trick against Wolfsburg in the Champions League, a match that was disappointingly followed by a game on the bench against Aston Villa.

"It’s been a long time since I was in the England squad," Owen told BBC Radio 5 live. "You never give up but it’s probably a long shot in racing terms."

The former Liverpool hero has found breaking into the first team increasingly difficult with the on fire Wayne Rooney being preferred as a lone striker on a more consistent basis. Dimitar Berbatov has been manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s second-choice striker when United play two up front as well, making a regular run of games even harder to come by.

 

 

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