The striker of Stoke City, Michael Owen, has said that he has recovered from his hamstring injury and he might be given his first starting opportunity of the season in the next match against Newcastle United which is going to be played at the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday.

Owen joined Stoke City in September this year, but, he hasn’t yet started any match for Stoke. He has featured for Stoke in four matches so far, but, in all those matches, he came to play as substitute. He is yet to score a goal in the current season. He had been suffering from hamstring strain since the last few days.

After Stoke City’s victory over Fulham in the Premier League match played on Saturday, Owen went through a fitness test. Talking to the reporters after the fitness test, Owen said, “The fitness test was quite good. I didn’t feel the pain while running out there which indicates that I have recovered now. I think I am ready to make a comeback in the next match against Newcastle.”

When asked if he thinks he would be given his first starting opportunity against Newcastle, Owen said, “Yes, I think so. I hadn’t been given the starting chances in the previous matches because my fitness wasn’t quite good. But, I have worked hard in the last few days and my fitness has improved considerably. So, I think I am not too far behind from getting my first starting opportunity. I might get it against Newcastle.”

On the other hand, the manager of Stoke City, Tony Pulis, has given a slightly different statement. When asked about Owen’s injury, Pulis said, “Owen has recovered pretty fast, but, he is still not 100% fit. There is very little possibility that he would get fit before the match against Newcastle, but, he would definitely get fit before the match against West Bromwich Albion.”