Michael Owen’s hopes of an England recall rest on Sir Alex Ferguson’s team selection for Manchester United’s trip to Chelsea on Sunday in the Barclays Premier League.

The United striker has impressed Fabio Capello by scoring on his past two starts, against Barnsley and CSKA Moscow, but the England manager needs to be convinced that he can cause problems for the top sides before handing him his first call-up for 18 months to face Brazil in next week’s friendly international in Doha, Qatar.

Capello would prefer Owen to start the match at Stamford Bridge, which is unlikely given Ferguson’s established first-choice strike pairing of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, but the striker could impress Capello by making a big impact coming off the substitutes’ bench.

The 29-year-old has gone some way towards proving his fitness to a sceptical Capello by appearing in six matches in the past three weeks since returning from a groin injury, but he remains behind Jermain Defoe in the pecking order. The Tottenham Hotspur striker’s place in the squad is not secure, either, because he has played only one game in the past month because of injury and suspension.

Defoe is due to return from a three-match ban in Tottenham’s Premier League match against Sunderland tomorrow, which will be watched by Capello, although if he shows signs of lacking fitness he could lose his place in the squad, which would provide renewed hope for Owen.

Capello also has problems in midfield, with Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon out and James Milner struggling with a calf problem. Capello has watched Joe Cole on several occasions recently but believes that the Chelsea player needs to do more to merit a recall, which is likely to lead to a return to the squad for Ashley Young.