Former England skipper Alan Shearer is warning the rest of the world to beware of Michael Owen.

The 26-year-old striker is still battling his way back to full match sharpness after fracturing a metatarsal on December 31 and played barely half an hour of football for Newcastle before lining up in the warm-up games against Belarus, Hungary and Jamaica - but Shearer is convinced he will produce his best form just when his country needs it most.

He told Newcastle's official website: "We have got one of the best strikers in the world in Michael. I know he has looked a bit tentative in the last few games, but he simply would not have wanted to do anything to rule him out of those finals. Now he is there just watch him go. I spoke to him the other day and he says he feels great and his foot feels fine."