Nothing to prove

Michael Owen says he is ready to prove his mental strength on two counts - by guiding England to victory against Wales on Saturday and then winning over fans at Real Madrid.

The striker's most pressing battle is to recover from a back injury that seen him unable to train with the Three Lions since arriving in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon.

But he also has a more personal challenge ahead for both club and country after a slow start to his new career in Spain.

Owen is used to making headlines for all the right reasons, having scored 27 times in 63 caps for England and scoring non-stop for Liverpool where he was a cult hero to the Anfield faithful.

But things have not come quite as easy for him in Madrid, where he must compete against the likes of Ronaldo, Raul and Fernando Morientes for a place up front at the Bernabeu.

The situation was made more difficult at the weekend when he was given a chance to start for the La Liga giants, only to suffer an injury in the opening minutes that affected his performance.

The reaction of the Spanish press was perhaps harsh, and there have even been suggestions back home that his England place is in jeopardy because of strong competition from the likes of Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Darius Vassell and Alan Smith.

But, as Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson pointed out only recently, Owen is made of stern stuff. And today he re-assured England fans that he is as confident about his ability as ever.

"I know about the headlines but I'm not worried," he said. "I would prefer them to be writing nice things about me but I've heard it all before and seen it all before and I'm not concerned in the slightest. I'm more than 100 per cent sure that those headlines out there will be reversed. I know more than anyone you can be as low as anyone can be one minute and within 24 hours you can be on top of the world again. Football's like that and hopefully it will be like that for me on Saturday.

"I know for a fact that Madrid haven't seen anything like the best of me yet and they are certainly going to in the future. I have no doubts that I will be a success out there, I just have to be patient. At the minute I'm kicking my heels and wanting to go and prove myself. Unfortunately things were against me the other day and I wasn't able to give my full showing because I got injured early on, but I'm sure I will be able to soon.

"I'm not doubting anything about myself. I'm perfectly content with myself. I've not become 10 times better or 10 times worse than when I went to bed the other night and I'm still the same player."

It seems incredible that Owen should be judged at Madrid so soon after arriving at the club. But that's the nature of football these days and the striker knows he has to make an impact quickly if he is to achieve his dream of becoming a terrace hero at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"First and foremost I would like to settle down out there," he said. "I have been living in a hotel with our little kid for eight weeks now and living in one room with a child that wants to run round the garden all the time isn't easy.

"It's often the case that when it's not perfect off the pitch it's not perfect on it either. I would like to get a house and settle down and speak a bit more of the language and meet a few more people and everything else. It's not easy but I knew that would be the case. But I'm still up for the challenge and I'm hungry to do well. I'm not a quitter, I will fight to the death. I'm sure I'm going to be a success out there."

Owen has that same determination and vision when it comes to his England career, too. He will undergo physiotherapy tomorrow in a bid to prove his fitness, and says he will only declare himself fit for action if he is able to train on Thursday.

But you get a real sense that he is desperate to walk out at Old Trafford and silence his critics by scoring the winning goal.

"Just a little bit of me is thinking that," he smiled.

"I've got an extra spring in my step because I haven't been playing as much as I'm used to. At Liverpool I was playing every week and regularly for England, so it's a change to the system and I don't want to get too used to it. With a bit of luck I can do well on Saturday and if I'm 100 per cent fit then I'm really bouncing to play."

Whether he does play, of course, is down to Eriksson - who has a nice problem with so many top-quality strikers to choose from and all with a claim to start.

So, with so much competition, does Owen still feel like England's number one?

"I'm not going to say yes or no," he insisted, dodging the question with a mixture of modesty and experience.

"I know what values I can bring to the team. You are not going to see a big change in my game for better or worse - you know what you are going to get. You have seen it 63 times before and you've seen 27 goals.

I've provided a constant supply of goals throughout my career, it's not like I've only played one or two games for England and am being asked if I can play at this level.

"I don't feel as if I've dipped to a low level. When I have played I don't think I'm playing badly. The only game I didn't do myself justice was the other night and I have a good reason for that because of the injury.

"I haven't regretted the move, either. I didn't go into the move with blinkers on, I knew everything about it. And I'm ready for the challenge."