Owen: England have options

Michael Owen has insisted he is confident England can replace Wayne Rooney.

The Manchester United man's fractured metatarsal has sent shockwaves through the England camp with predictions of doom and gloom stemming from Sven Goran Eriksson admission that it would take a 'miracle' for Rooney to recover.

United have drafted in the help of an oxygen tent to aid his recovery, and the club insist he could return to training in six weeks, but Eriksson will be focusing on developing a 'plan B' should his worst fears be realised.

Whilst Rooney's match winning qualities and world class talent cannot be replaced like-for-like, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Darren Bent will all be vying to step into his considerable boots.

It has even been suggested that Birmingham's Emile Heskey could be in line for a shock international recall, and Owen has insisted that Eriksson has a number of players who can make an impact in Germany.

Liverpool striker Crouch looks the most likely to start unless the Swede opts to use Joe Cole or Steven Gerrard in an advanced role, but Owen is confident he can forge a partnership with whomever is asked to fill in for Rooney.

"If he were to miss out, then it would be a big blow. Not only to the country but to his fellow players," Owen told The Sun.

"But there are plenty of top-class strikers. Wayne is a different type of player to many of them but any striker has got their own way of being successful.

"Half of it is what you are born with, obviously Peter Crouch is a lot different to myself or Jermain.

"All have proved they can score goals in The Premiership.

"I don't suppose there are too many proven at international or World Cup level. The only way of finding out is to play.

"Darren Bent, for example, has scored a lot of goals in a strong league."

Expanding on the Charlton man's qualities, Owen praised the way he has impressed in his first season in The Premiership since a summer move from Ipswich.

"He has had a fantastic season and is a very good player," Owen added.

"I have seen first hand in a lot of training sessions he is a first class player. To do that in his first season is fantastic.

"But there are pros for all these players, it just depends what style you are looking for.

"I don't think it matters what type of style I play with, I have played with Peter Crouch a couple of times and scored a few goals alongside him.

"I have played with plenty of different strikers and you always find a way of working together.

"If you have quality enough to play in an international team, you should be able to adapt to whoever is playing alongside you."