With the furore surrounding Fabio Capello's decision to ignore Michael Owen a serious question mark has been placed on his international future.

A manager who bases a player's form as paramount importance, is it really a surprise that Capello has not called on Owen's services for England's recent games? It would be naive to assume that Owen does not have a chance of going to South Africa next year but his injury problems coupled with playing for a team that is fighting to avoid Championship football next season makes it hard to see how he is going to force his way back into contention.

However, there are certain factors that fall in Owen's favour. If Newcastle were to be relegated Owen would still attract interest from Premiership clubs. This would no doubt deeply upset Geordie fans and rightly so. He does owe the club after they have stuck by him through long-term injury but that is a different argument all together. You could also look at the calibre of current England strikers. There is a real shortage of world-class front men in the current squad. No disrespect to Carlton Cole but is he really going to come up with the goods in the major tournaments?

The bottom line is that Michael Owen is a natural goal scorer and has a great record for England, but it is clear that under the new Capello regime things are looking bleak. However, I for one feel that you would write him off at your peril.

Written by Tom Payani