Michael Owen has received a "big bonus" in his bid to recover from a knee injury after scans revealed only his anterior cruciate ligament was ruptured while playing for England.
Although the good news may not necessarily speed the Newcastle striker's return to action, it could affect his confidence during rehabilitation. He is expected to be out until New Year.
"We've had all the scans done over here, basically we're thinking from what the scans say that it's a cruciate," said Owen on official website www.nufc.co.uk.