Owen to undergo surgery on foot this week

England and Newcastle striker Michael Owen has confirmed he will have an operation this week to pin the broken bone in his right foot.

Owen fractured his fifth metatarsal in a collision with Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson during his side's 2-0 defeat at White Hart Lane on Saturday. The 26-year-old fears he could be sidelined for up to 13 weeks having spoken to former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard, who has had a similar injury.

But he is confident he will join Gerrard in Sven-Goran Eriksson's England squad for this summer's World Cup in Germany, and aims to return for Newcastle before then.

"I have been given the name of a good surgeon and I am going to have a pin inserted," Owen told The Times. "It is not essential, and some players have done without it, but I have been advised that it should give me the best chance of a strong and quick recovery.

"I don't need any miracles to be playing again this season and, fingers crossed, I will see at least a month of the Premiership season as well as the World Cup."

England team-mates David Beckham, Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Ashley Cole have all had similar injuries and Owen said: "The experiences of so many of my colleagues provides some reassurance that I should back in two to three months.

"Some players with broken metatarsals have been back on the pitch in eight weeks so that is the most optimistic scenario. Thirteen weeks seems to be the worst case to judge from the information I have had from the likes of Gerrard."