Owen’s England place secure, insists Eriksson

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON has reassured Michael Owen that his England place is safe - even if he becomes a bit-part player at Real Madrid ahead of the World Cup finals.

Eriksson revealed that Jermain Defoe would be given the chance to play alongside Wayne Rooney in next week’s friendly in Denmark as Owen is suspended for the next World Cup qualifier against Wales in September.

However, Owen will still be involved and appears almost certain to regain his spot against Northern Ireland four days after the Wales game and start the World Cup finals - if England qualify - as the team’s attacking spearhead.

That is even though he could find himself fifth-choice striker at Real this season following the signings of Robinho and Julio Baptista, with only Newcastle seemingly interested in bringing him back to the Premiership.

Eriksson is nevertheless unruffled by doubts over how many games Owen will start this season and he has given the Real striker, who is now ranked fourth in the list of all-time England goalscorers, his unequivocal backing.

Indeed, he even claimed that England could benefit from Owen spending half of the season on the sidelines - as then he would be fresher for the tournament.

Eriksson declared: “I want to qualify for the World Cup and then I want to have Michael Owen with me, that’s for sure. He’s always shown that he’s very important for England.

“My intention is to pick Michael Owen for next week’s friendly. He can’t play against Wales but he can play against Northern Ireland a few days later. “Almost for sure I won’t start him against Denmark so that makes Defoe rather interesting. It’s a good opportunity for him to show that he’s the right man to start against Wales.”

While Owen, Defoe and Rooney are effectively assured of their places in Eriksson’s World Cup squad - if England qualify - then there is still one spot up for grabs. With the likes of Emile Heskey and James Beattie having fallen by the wayside, the England coach is looking for a physical alternative to Rooney.

And while he will continue to monitor the form of Andy Johnson despite Crystal Palace’s relegation, Peter Crouch is the leading candidate after impressing on the summer tour of the United States.

Crouch is currently injured, ruling him out of the Denmark friendly, but he is clearly at the forefront of Eriksson’s thoughts, especially after his move to Liverpool.

Johnson, meanwhile, faces a season in the Championship and despite Eriksson’s comment to Palace chairman Simon Jordan that he would not rule out the forward - leading to him signing a new contract - the Swede always prefers picking players involved in the Champions League.

That could give Alan Smith a chance to force his way into the World Cup reckoning, although not just as a back-up forward, but also as a potential midfielder.