22 May 2006
VIDEO: Michael Owen Training for England

Click here to see Michael in action ahead of England's first World Cup warm up game with Belarus.

Sven-Goran Eriksson believes his England side are fitter, more experienced and more convinced in their own ability than he has ever seen before.

The England Head Coach was in buoyant and positive mood yesterday as he was reunited with his Three Lions squad at their training base in Hertfordshire.

He was fresh from watching Michael Owen prove his fitness during the week-long training trip to Portugal and also from watching young Theo Walcott show glimpses of his special talent, too.

The only set-back has been the need for Luke Young to pull out of the squad with injury but with Michael Dawson replacing him and Wayne Rooney showing steady improvement there was no reason for Eriksson to be downbeat.

He said: "I have said for at least one year that we can win the World Cup and I'm even more positive today than I was before we went to Portugal because the fitness tests we did there were very important.

"Winning the World Cup is a dream for all of us, of course it is. And I think we can do it. Of course you need a little bit of luck, you don't need any more injuries for sure. But the players we have are extremely good and today they believe they can do it. They didn't believe it four years ago, not in this way anyway. I think we have a very, very good chance."

Those are strong words from the Swede, who usually prefers to understate his team’s chances and keep everything on an even keel.

But this time there is a sense in the England camp that they are building up to something very special indeed.

"I am much more confident than before Japan," he said. "This team is much stronger and fitter than four years ago. Many of them are the same players.

But we have Steven Gerrard, who didn't play last time. And take whatever other players you can mention and they are all better today than they were then. They have more international experience.

"Michael Owen, for instance, is still a young man and this will be his third World Cup. That's incredible. And of course he is better today than he was in the first or the second of those.

"And also it will be a fit England this time in the tournament, and that is very, very important."

England hope to know by Friday whether Rooney is in contention for Germany but the news with Owen is 100 per cent positive.

"I’m not worried about Michael," said Eriksson.

"What I saw last week in training I am very very happy with. He trained excellent and when he played he was on fire. I don't think I have seen Michael Owen in such good shape for many years.

"Physically he was fantastic and you can see how hungry he is to play football. I am not joking with you, I discussed it with the other coaches as well.

"He's been working very hard and his fitness level is very, very good. He is fit. In fact he's super-fit."

As for Rooney, not even the non-stop stories about whether he will be fit or not can ware Eriksson down!

"Reports are coming from everywhere right now," he laughed. "But the fact is he's going to have a scan on Thursday - and on Friday we will know much better.

"I have always been very positive. Maybe more with my heart than with my head. But I am quite sure he will, as some stage during the World Cup, be ready. I strongly believe that."