Michael Owen has revelled in a week without worry. While others have speculated on his international future, the striker has had more pressing issues to contend with, scoring a vital goal for Newcastle United and luxuriating in time with his family without a sense of guilt regarding his club’s predicament. He has always believed that England will take care of itself.

Owen is expected to be named in Fabio Capello’s England squad today, yet the 28-year-old is aware of reports that the Italian no longer regards him as an automatic first-choice. It has not been a straightforward period for the player, who has been hindered by a string of injuries, while his underachieving team have been thrust into a struggle against relegation.

Yet Owen remains as unflappable as ever; comfortable in himself, confident in his ability and determined to reverse the malaise at St James’ Park. There have been occasions when supporters have doubted his loyalty or motivation, but apart from his goal against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Monday night, Owen produced a captain’s performance. If his form and fitness hold, England recognition will follow.

With 40 goals to show for his 88 caps, no other player at Capello’s disposal possesses Owen’s pedigree and with three in his past six matches for Newcastle, he has responded in difficult circumstances. Had he converted the myriad chances that came his way against Blackburn Rovers, there would have been more goals and Kevin Keegan, the Newcastle manager, has repeatedly drawn attention to the forward’s long quest for full fitness.

“I have been an England player for several years and I am still only 28,” Owen said. “Hopefully, there will be plenty of years ahead and more caps under the new manager, but there are many more pressing things for me to think about. We \ are not in the European Championships. Obviously, everyone wants to get into the manager’s team, but I have many more important things to worry about. My main priority is to get more points for Newcastle and that’s what I’m concentrating on.”

A committed second-half performance at St Andrew’s, where Owen scored a deserved equaliser, may not have been enough to bring Keegan his first victory since replacing Sam Allardyce in January, but it suggested that Newcastle possess enough gumption to lift themselves from their depressed position in the Barclays Premier League. The home match against Fulham on Saturday will be pivotal.

“In the dressing-room afterwards, it was the best I have felt for a long time,” Owen said. “Tuesday was the first day off when I could go home and enjoy myself, smile and laugh with the kids and play with them without thinking about the stresses and strains of the football.

“It’s not that we’re pleased we have drawn with Birmingham. We are bigger and better than to be pleased with drawing at Birmingham. But when you think about the manner of what we did and what has happened over the last few weeks, you have to be pleased. We have shown character, we’ve taken a positive point against a team below us and hopefully we’ll take more on Saturday.

“We have got to put the relegation thing to bed as soon as possible. The plan is to finish the season and have everyone wondering what all that worry was about. Hopefully, we can get right out of the wrong end of the table as soon as possible and win a good few games before the end of the season. We have a game on Saturday that can help us do that. We could then look back at a week when we’ve taken four points from teams below us and kick on from there.”

Owen has only a single full season remaining on his contract, but now is not the time to be discussing an extension. “The moment you say the club have not offered you a contract, it is the club snubbing you and vice versa, but it’s not like that,” he said. “The club have not offered me a new contract and I have not knocked on the door and asked for one. There are more pressing things.”