Shepherd hands Owen ultimatum

The injury-plagued England striker has played just 13 senior games for Newcastle since his 2005 transfer and, responding to reports he could be available for as little as £9million, Shepherd told the Daily Express: "These suggestions will not impress our fans after what has happened in the last couple of years.

"This report was a very thinly-disguised attempt to flog Owen from under our feet, sourced very close to the player or those who look after him. The information must have come from there, not from our club."

Shepherd issued Owen with an ultimatum, in which he claims none of the Barclays Premiership's 'big four' would want to buy him.

He said: "I'm telling Michael he has two choices: he either comes out and tells our fans, who have taken him to their hearts, that he is happy here, or I tell him not one of the big four clubs - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool - are interested in him. Because that's the case.

"The loyalty this club has shown him over the last two years, when he had injury problems in his first season and had missed virtually all of this season, deserves something in return.

"He has had a really serious injury and no-one, least of all one of the biggest clubs, is likely to take a risk at this stage.

"He has to prove to everyone, himself and Newcastle United included, that he is fully recovered and not about to break down again."