Newcastle striker Michael Owen headed for America on Monday vowing to return to his brilliant best following surgery on his ruptured knee.
The 26-year-old faces a long haul back to fitness after the second of two operations by renowned specialist Richard Steadman, who will perform the procedure later this week. That could mean six to eight months, if not longer, on the sidelines, but Owen is already starting to look beyond that.
He said: "I will be having the operation done in a couple of days, and I'm confident, with positive thinking, I will be back and as good as ever."