Owen Wants Big Improvement

Magpies striker Michael Owen played down the latest club v country battle to say he is fit and well and looking to plunder 'five or six' goals for England in this summer's World Cup finals.

The Newcastle striker has so far netted on 35 occasions for England but will be heading to Germany desperately short of match fitness having been sidelined with a metatarsal injury he picked up in December.

Despite being just 14 goals short of Bobby Charlton's all-time record he is yet to secure a large haul in any of the four major tournaments he has so far figured in. That is something he hopes to change when he spearheads Sven Goran Eriksson's side this summer.

Owen: 'At the moment I am not thinking about the record with the World Cup finals approaching and because of what had happened to me over the last few months with my injury.

'I have been focusing all my efforts on getting myself in top shape to join up with England. My only thoughts are to come back from Germany having had a good tournament along with the other lads. The main thing is to score some goals and hopefully win the World Cup.

'I have been to four tournaments and scored in all of them, but there hasn't been one where I have made an impression by scoring five or six.
That's my aim now and if I can get off the mark against Paraguay it will give me all the confidence I need to have a great World Cup.'

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