Michael Owen has insisted he does not lose sleep over his struggle to earn an England recall.
Striker concentrating on United form
Michael Owen has insisted he does not lose sleep over his struggle to earn an England recall.
Fabio Capello described the striker as a 'tormentor' last week due to the ongoing debate about whether he should be playing for the Three Lions.
Capello has continued to overlook Owen despite his impressive goalscoring record at international level and summer move to Manchester United.
The Italian makes his selections based on club form and Owen has yet to establish himself as a regular starter at Old Trafford, showing only glimpses of his undoubted class.
The 29-year-old will have to do more to earn a place in the World Cup squad but he maintains that his sole focus is on doing well for United.
"England is something I don't really think about," he said.
"It is probably something people talk about a lot more than I think about really.
"The last squad I was in was over a year ago now. I have played for England 89 times and I would love to play for England again.
"But I am concentrating on playing for Manchester United. I genuinely go to bed thinking that I have got to play well the next day and win games for Manchester United, not that if I score or play well I might get picked for England."
Exciting
Owen's switch to United has created more discussion about his England exile, with the centre-forward fully aware that he has the chance to press his claims by winning major trophies with his club.
"One of the draws of coming to a club like Manchester United is that you are always competing at the top level," he said.
"There were many things that stuck in my mind when I was first asked to come and join the club but one of the big things was the chance to play on big Champions League nights and to play in top Premier League games.
"It has to be everyone's dream to play in games like that. It is difficult to win these competitions but it is obviously our aim to do it and it is exciting to be part of it."
