Soccer: Owen has pin inserted in broken toe

LONDON - England and Newcastle United striker Michael Owen underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the broken toe he sustained playing against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Owen had a metal pin inserted on the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the operation in a Manchester hospital, the Newcastle website reported.

He suffered the injury in a collision with Tottenham's England goalkeeper Paul Robinson and is likely to be out of action for between two and three months.

A March return would give Newcastle's record signing plenty of time to return to full fitness ahead of the World Cup.

England play their first group game against Paraguay in Frankfurt on June 10.

With 35 goals from his 75 international appearances the 26-year-old is a vital part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup plans.

- REUTERS