Owen nearing return

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The 28-year-old has not played since tearing a thigh muscle in England's 1-0 friendly victory over Austria on November 16, and has managed only eight starts for his club all season.

But when asked if Owen could be involved soon, manager Sam Allardyce said: "Yes, he could be. It could be a small contribution."

He added: "It's then a case of building him up from there. Using him sparingly at this period of time is something we consider, and hopefully that builds the match fitness and staves off any more injuries."

Owen has featured only 25 times in competitive games since his arrival from Real Madrid in August 2005, with injuries severely limiting his participation.

There was little he or his club could do about the fractured metatarsal which interrupted his first season on Tyneside, or the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament which wrecked his second.

However, Allardyce is hoping the more minor problems which have hampered Owen since will become a thing of the past once he gets back in action.

"It's always a challenge when you have got a quality player of that nature who is bitterly disappointed, as we are, that he keeps picking up little niggly injuries," said Allardyce.

"It is not as if they are the sort of injuries he has had before which have been major or long term. That's another challenge compared to what he has had.

"But he is fit again now and hopefully that will be the end of it for a long period of time."