Shearer the best ever: Souness

Alan Shearer was hailed as “the greatest centre-forward England has ever had” by Newcastle boss Graeme Souness after taking his Premiership tally to 250 last night.

Shearer drilled home a ninth-minute opener in typically brutal fashion before Robbie Fowler equalised with a second-half penalty for Manchester City in last night’s 1-1 draw at Eastlands.

The 34-year-old has declared he will retire at the end of this season, but Souness is still hoping the former England captain may carry on.

“He scores every type of goal imaginable. He really is a phenomenon,” said Souness.

“He sets an example to everyone at our club, which is why I so badly want him to extend his career.”

Shearer is now just 14 goals away from equalling Jackie Milburn as the most prolific forward in Newcastle history.

The man who splashed out a then record £15m (€21.7m) to lure the striker back to his native Tyneside from Blackburn in 1996, and made him captain of his country, provided even more glowing praise.

Kevin Keegan, now boss of Manchester City, added: “He is a very special player. I totally agree with Graeme’s assessment of his standing in the English game and I would doubly underline it for good measure. It would be a surprise if he had said anything else.

“He has now scored 250 Premiership goals in a career where he has suffered two very serious injuries. Without those you could have been talking somewhere in the region of 300.

“He is 14 goals away from Jackie Milburn’s record now and I wouldn’t bet against him equalling it in the very last game of the season, at St James’ Park.”

Shearer was just happy to have hit the back of the net once again.

“It was a hell of a strike,” he told Sky Sports News. “The older you get, the more you appreciate scoring goals. You certainly never lose the feeling it gives you.

“It was a fantastic ball from Titus Bramble, who did that two or three times in the first half. I wasn’t going to run any more because I was aware somebody was chasing me, so I had to hit it as soon as I could. Thankfully it went in the back of the net.”

Asked whether he had considered passing to team-mate Shola Ameobi, Shearer gave an insight into just why he has been so prolific.

He joked: “No, I didn’t see him. That’s why I’ve got 250 Premiership goals.”