Newcastle boss Allardyce: I’ll decide if Owen is fit for England

Allardyce said: “The FA and Steve McClaren are not involved, it’s a Newcastle United decision.

“A decision like that is taken by me, the club doctor, the head of sports science, the senior physiotherapist, the person who reads the scan and the specialist.

“There’s no one more qualified than the staff at Newcastle to know what Michael’s condition is and if and when we ought to be doing anything about it.

“My job is to get him fit to play for Newcastle. If he’s fit for us, it means he’ll be fit for England.

“Michael couldn’t have continued playing, he has a 3cm tear in the adductor muscle in his groin.”