Newcastle will make Owen fitness call

Owen's astonishingly rapid recovery after keyhole surgery has put him back in contention for England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia later this month.

Allardyce said in his column in Zoo magazine: "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 England striker has already started light training and could even play some part in Newcastle's home match against Everton on Sunday.

It now looks odds on that Steve McClaren will name the 27-year-old in his England squad on Friday, but Allardyce insists it will be Newcastle who take the final decision.

"The FA and Steve McClaren are not involved," he said. "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."

Owen was operated on last week by German specialist Dr Ulrike Muschaweck, who repaired an adductor muscle tear in his groin and a weakness in his stomach to prevent a hernia.

She said Owen should be back to full fitness after "eight to 10 days, a maximum of 14".