Michael Owens World Cup hopes over after Manchester United striker ruled out for rest of season

By Mark Ogden Published: 10:45AM GMT 05 March 2010

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The 30-year-old will bear surgery on Monday after scans highlighted serve repairs than primarily approaching to the injure leg tendon damage that forced Owen to baggy out of last Sundays Carling Cup last win opposite Aston Villa.

With Danny Welbeck on loan at Preston and incompetent to cut short his season-long spell at Deepdale, Sir Alex Ferguson has only Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov accessible as comparison strikers.

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And with Rooney puzzled for tomorrows outing to Wolves with a knee damage and Berbatov struggling with a long-term knee problem, the disastrous Owen circular could not have come at a worse time for Manchester United.

It additionally all ends Owen"s hopes of forcing his approach in to Fabio Capello"s England patrol for World Cup 2010.

Ferguson said: "We have had a little bad headlines on the damage front with Michael Owen being ruled out for the season.

"The injure leg tendon damage is some-more critical than we initial thought, so he will have surgery on Monday.

"Its a distressing blow for the kid and it is unequivocally unsatisfactory for the team, too.

"Since he arrived from Newcastle last summer, Michael has never longed for a precision session.

"But I hold that personification on the complicated representation at Wembley last week

contributed to the injury.

"Its unequivocally bad fitness for Michael, but he is out right away until subsequent season."

Despite his marked down impasse at Old Trafford this season, Owen has scored consequential goals for United.

His injury-time leader opposite Manchester City last Sep and the equaliser opposite Villa at Wembley last week have valid to be genuine high-points.

And Ferguson admits that the former Liverpool and Real Madrid brazen will be a genuine loss over the last weeks of the season.

He said: "Michael has been such an critical player for us.

"Maybe I havent used him as most as I should have done, but that has mostly been down to Rooneys form.

"Wayne has been magnificent, but Michael has positively done a contribution, he has been superb around the sauce room and he has been a unequivocally good pro.

"This is the initial injure leg tendon damage he has had for 4 years, so the a genuine blow for him and us."

Owens damage has been mitigated by the headlines that Owen Hargreaves could lapse for the pot subsequent Thursday after roughly dual years out with a stand in knee injury.

Ferguson said: "Owen has shown for the initial time in new days that he is roughly ready to play.

"Thats good headlines and I have pencilled him in for a diversion subsequent Thursday."