Grip: Owen will be going

England assistant coach Tord Grip “hopes and thinks” Michael Owen will be fit for the World Cup and claims “it is not a big worry” if the striker only plays one more game for Newcastle this season.

The 26-year-old striker, who has been out of action since breaking a bone in his foot against Tottenham in December, had feared his hopes of recovering in time to be included in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad for Germany had been dashed when he was told he needed another operation.