Well ... let's start worrying.

Steve McClaren's fears were realised last night when Sam Allardyce revealed that Michael Owen will miss next month's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia.

Allardyce: "It will be three weeks out," before refusing to confirm strong suggestions that Owen is already booked in for an operation to repair a double hernia in Germany on Friday.

"He has a 3cm tear in his abductor muscle and will see a specialist on Thursday to see if needs a hernia operation or not."

It is also understood that tomorrow's meeting with Muschaweck is expected to be a routine precursor to Friday surgery in Munich after a specialist in Bradford visited by Owen on Monday night indicated that the England and Newcastle striker required a hernia operation.

Allardyce: "Whoever does the surgery cannot say whether he needs a hernia [operation] or not until they have seen him, unless they are magic and they can see over here from Germany and peer into his stomach and say, 'Oh, by the way, you have got a hernia and need an operation on it.'

"Michael would miss England anyway with his groin tear so we might as well check up whether he needs a hernia operation or not while he is out with the abductor tear. He will probably need another operation but the other specialist hasn't told us that yet."

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney should be available for England's home game with Estonia and the trip to play Russia on a plastic pitch on October 13 and 17 respectively, McClaren is likely to also be without Emile Heskey, recovering from a metatarsal injury.

Owen should be available for England's qualifier at home to Croatia on November 21.