Owen has first knee op

Michael Owen has undergone the first of a two-stage operation to repair his injured knee.

Michael Owen has undergone the first of a two-stage operation to repair his injured knee.

The Newcastle marksman is facing a long spell out of the game, having suffered a serious knee injury during England's World Cup group game with Sweden.

He is under the care of American surgeon Dr Richard Steadman and he has had surgery to correct the cartilage damage in his knee.

Owen is set to return to England to begin his rehabilitation, but will head back to America in a couple of months to have an operation on his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

"I spoke to our club doctor Roddy McDonald after the first stage of the procedure had been done, and he explained to me what the second stage would involve and that it could take place in eight weeks' time," Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder told the club's website.

Roeder, meanwhile, has called on young defenders Titus Bramble and Steven Taylor to stand tall, in order to allow him to focus his attentions on signing a striker.

A shaky back four has often been Newcastle's Achilles heel, but Bramble and Craig Moore formed an effective central-defensive partnership towards the end of last term.

And with Taylor on the verge of a return following a shoulder injury, Roeder is hopeful he has enough options within the camp.

"I'm really looking forward to working with him as Steven's got a big future," Roeder told the Daily Star. "He missed a chunk of last season and knowing how motivated he is, he can't wait to get started.

"Like Steven, Titus is still young and has nowhere near reached his potential."

Roeder will have to be creative in the transfer market, as he needs to find two strikers to offset the retirement of Alan Shearer and loss to injury of Owen.

It had also been claimed that he was looking to bring in a dominant centre half, but he may well opt to give his current crop the chance to prove their worth.