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In a line-up that’s every bit as unsurprising as the top four in the Premier League, James Richardson is joined in the pod by Barry Glendenning and Sean Ingle in another rip-roaring edition of Football Weekly.

The pod squad analyse Chelsea’s demolition of Arsenal, Liverpool’s bruising battle with Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur’s snoozefest with Aston Villa and ask: why are we getting another dose of the same old same old?

Also in the show – and lest we be accussed of Big Four-centricity – we discuss Hull City’s recent revival now that Phil Brown ditched the earpiece and the goatee.

Plus, we ponder whether Fabio Capello’s done the right thing in stripping John Terry of the England captaincy. And we get dewy-eyed about those Brat Pack movies of the 1980s.

Finally, our favourite Teuton Raphael Honigstein brings us news of a rift in the German national team and the latest from the Bundesliga; Sid Lowe brings us up to date with Spain’s La Liga; and Jimbo tells us about Lazio’s mounting woes in Serie A.

Have a listen and post your thoughts on the blog below. We’re also on iTunes, Facebook, and Twitter, and if you like this type of juvenile humour, get your daily dose with our tea-timely email, The Fiver.

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• FA fearful of more revelations to come about player’s private life
• Rio Ferdinand given armband with Steven Gerrard vice-captain

Fabio Capello today brought a week of intense speculation to a clinical end, stripping John Terry of the England captaincy in an attempt to draw a line under an episode that threatened to derail England’s World Cup campaign before it has begun.

Terry was said to be shocked and ­devastated following his short meeting with Capello and the Italian’s assistant Franco Baldini but accepted the reasoning behind the decision. The possibility of further ­damaging revelations appearing over a weekend when Capello will be in Warsaw for the Euro 2012 qualifying draw is understood to have been a factor.

Terry trained with Chelsea today before being driven to Wembley to face Capello for the first time since reports of his alleged affair with the former girlfriend of his international team-mate Wayne Bridge emerged a week ago, after a super-injunction preventing their reporting was lifted.

“I fully respect Fabio Capello’s decision. I will continue to give everything for England,” said Terry, who will be available for selection for the Egypt friendly at Wembley on 3 March.

• Terry stripped of captaincy as Capello gets tough
• Gallery: John Terry’s career in pictures
• David Lacey: Captaincy role is over-rated
• Dominic Fifield: Terry was a leader on the field but not off it

So, too, will Bridge, who is expected to return for Manchester City tomorrow against Hull City after two months out with injury. It is understood that, after rumours that he might be ready to retire from international football if Terry remained in the squad, Bridge is still keen to play international football and retains World Cup ambitions.

Despite a long week of debilitating speculation during which the impact of the affair on everything from England’s World Cup chances to the Football Association’s bid to host the 2018 tournament, when the end to Terry’s reign as England captain came, it was sudden.

In a meeting lasting less than 20 minutes Fabio Capello and his right-hand man Franco Baldini asked Terry to explain ­himself before informing him that he would be relieved of the role for the good of the team.

“After much thought I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry,” said Capello, who replaced him immediately with the vice-captain, Rio Ferdinand, and moved the third choice, Steven Gerrard, up to the deputy’s role.

“As a captain with the team John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad. What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice.”

The FA had been keen to stress that the decision would be Capello’s alone and taken on footballing rather than moral grounds. Baldini’s soundings from other members of the squad, from Bridge, from the managers of both players and from lawyers and the media about the likelihood of fresh revelations are likely to have played a major part. The possibilityof these further revelations is thought to have played a substantial part in Capello’s thinking.

Even before the most recent run of bad publicity Terry was forced to distance himself from a mis-spelt, badly worded email touting marketing tie-in opportunities leading up to the World Cup and defend himself after allegations he had accepted £10,000 for a private tour of Chelsea’s training ground in a deal mediated by a well-known ticket tout. Terry said the money went to charity.
This morning, as he was preparing to face Capello, he faced fresh newspaper allegations that an associate had offered to re-sell his Wembley executive box for a cash payment of £4,000. Terry said he was unaware of the offer and Paul Nicholls, one of his agents, said the idea had been rejected out of hand when it was put to him.

The Chelsea defender, who won 28 of his 58 caps as captain, will now have to line up alongside his replacement – who has appeared only nine times for Manchester United this season – in a constant reminder of his diminished status in the squad.

Because Capello had already named Ferdinand as his vice-captain and Gerrard as his third choice when he awarded Terry the captaincy after auditioning several contenders upon taking the job, the players were not faced with an awkward decision on whether to accept the role.

Senior FA executives are pleased that their strategy of leaving the decision entirely to Capello and Baldini appears to have borne fruit but will be concerned about the possibility of it now becoming open season on the private lives of footballers and the possibility of further skeletons tumbling from their closets.

In comparison with previous scandals that have escalated beyond their control, the relatively new FA hierarchy of the chairman, Lord Triesman, and chief executive, Ian Watmore, have so far successfully avoided turning a crisis into a drama. Terry did receive a modicum of support today from the England 2018 bid, which confirmed he will remain as a World Cup ambassador for as long as he is an England player, as its executives unveiled a new sponsorship deal with BT.

Indeed Andy Anson, chief executive of the FA-led bid, framed the recent controversy surrounding Terry in positive terms. “We’re selling the passion of football in England and the fact that everyone is obsessed with football,” he said.

“People around the world are staggered by the amount of press some of these incidents get in this country and it reflects that passion. We’re building on that passion and it is very much part of our pitch in this bid. The whole England squad are ambassadors for our bid and they will continue to be. They have done an amazing job.”

Shortly after Terry was relieved of the captaincy Vanessa Perroncel, Bridge’s former girlfriend, issued a statement through her publicist, Max Clifford, in which she said she would not be selling her story.

Clifford dismissed speculation that Terry had bought her silence: “That [speculation] is natural, to be expected and totally untrue. It was the papers offering her deals, she was not soliciting any of them. She is keeping her options open and meeting with lawyers regarding some of the untrue and hurtful things that have been said about her.”

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• England manager to demand facts from captain
• Captaincy decision expected to be based on football factors

Fabio Capello will demand full ­disclosure from John Terry before ­deciding if he is the man to captain England at the World Cup finals in June.

The England manager flew into Heath­row on Thursday and, amid continuing tabloid revelations about the private lives of Terry and his Chelsea team-mates, is believed to be determined to ensure he has all the facts at his disposal before ­making a decision on whether the defender should remain as captain.

Capello is set to meet Terry today after Chelsea’s training session and ask him to declare any other skeletons in his closet. It will be the first time the pair have met since Terry’s position as captain became a national talking point in the wake of an injunction preventing the reporting of his alleged affair with Wayne Bridge’s ­ex‑girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel.

Bridge is expected to return to the ­Manchester City side after two months out with a knee injury to face Hull City on ­Saturday, despite his manager, Roberto Mancini revealing that it was “not a good moment in his head”, while Terry has a crucial match against Arsenal on Sunday.

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While Capello has been in Switzerland recuperating from knee surgery, coincidentally buying himself and the Football Association some time, his right-hand man, Franco Baldini, has this week spoken to both ­players, and their managers, plus other members of the squad. He has also canvassed opinion more widely about the likelihood of further debilitating stories emerging before the World Cup.

The England manager is expected to make his ­decision purely on footballing rather than moral grounds, weighing the effect on the dressing room of ­keeping Terry as captain versus the possible ­damage that his removal could do. But he will nevertheless want to be convinced by Terry that there are no more ­embarrassing revelations, or worse, that are yet to emerge that could further destabilise the build‑up to the World Cup.

All involved would like to draw a line under the affair tomorrow, but the FA chief executive, Ian Watmore, and the chairman, Lord Triesman, are ­determined that the decision and its timing should be entirely in the gift of Capello. Throughout, they have sought to maintain the line that the decision is one for Capello alone and worked hard to clamp down on the possibility of other members of the FA board or international committee ­speaking out on the matter.

Capello would like to have made a definitive decision before he steps on to a plane on Saturday for the Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Warsaw, but is prepared to take longer to make up his mind should he deem it necessary. He is due to face the press after the draw on Sunday, a day which is also likely to bring forth further lurid revelations about Terry and other high‑profile footballers.

Mancini has revealed that he discussed Bridge’s state of mind with Baldini on Monday, when he was at Wembley for Manchester City’s failed attempt to gain a work ­permit for the Kenya international ­Mcdonald Mariga.

“Baldini asked me about Wayne and I told him that he is training every day and it’s not a good moment in his head but it’s not a problem on the training ground,” ­Mancini said. “For me it’s important he can play now and not think about the other person. Wayne is most important for us and the other players. He plays in the national team and he’s the best left-back in England and the Premier League and that’s the most important thing for me and the other players.”

Mancini said that Bridge was in the right frame of mind to play: “I spoke with him two days ago, three days ago and yesterday and he wants to play on ­Saturday and I think he can play.”

Baldini has also spoken with Ancelotti to ascertain Terry’s mental state and it is one of the ironies of the extraordinary media firestorm around the affair that all four men in charge of the situation are Italian and share an air of bemusement at the fuss it has caused.

But his time in the job has made Capello more than aware of the importance placed on the role of captain, in comparison to its largely ceremonial role in Italian football.

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• FA eager to avoid media circus over latest scandal
• Terry distraught over potential damage to his career

Fabio Capello will tomorrow fly back to London to face the biggest decision of his reign as England manager over the future of John Terry, as the Football Association drew up plans to try to avoid a media circus reminiscent of other scandals that have gripped the organisation in recent years.

Terry was said to be distraught over the potential damage to his career in a World Cup year and the effect the affair has had on his family, with his wife, Toni, forced to appeal to the Press Complaints Commission to quell the scrum of photographers that has followed her and their three-year-old twins to Dubai.

Capello will return from Switzerland, where he has been recuperating from knee surgery, at lunchtime tomorrow to meet his right-hand man, Franco Baldini, and make contact with Terry. He is expected to try to meet the Chelsea defender to hear his side of the story in person, most likely after Chelsea train on Friday. Capello is determined to put the matter to bed before Sunday’s Euro 2012 draw in Warsaw.

Baldini is understood to have made contact with Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, to gauge Terry’s state of mind and to try to arrange a time for Capello to sit down with the defender.

Terry today spoke publicly, via his spokesman, for the first time since news of his alleged affair with the former girlfriend of his England team-mate Wayne Bridge emerged last Friday, to say that he would make no decisions until he had spoken to Capello. “John Terry asked me to make it clear that he has made absolutely no statement about his future as England captain,” said his spokesman, the former News of the World editor Phil Hall. “He is keeping his own counsel until he speaks to England manager Fabio Capello and then Mr Capello will decide what ­announcement will be made.”

Terry has already made contact with Baldini to explain his position. The FA’s chief executive, Ian Watmore, and ­chairman, Lord Triesman, are determined that the decision should be one for Capello alone. The manager will decide on football rather than moral grounds.

His choice will be taken on the basis of the potential impact on the dynamics of the England dressing room. But if Terry is to keep the armband, Capello will want to be convinced that there are no more potentially damaging revelations about the 29-year-old’s private life to come, over the weekend or in the months leading up to the World Cup.

Some members of the FA international committee, a less powerful body under the regime of Triesman and Watmore than it used to be, believe that Capello should strip Terry of the captaincy but even they concede it should be a matter for the ­manager alone.

The FA hierarchy will attempt to avoid the kind of media scrum which has habitually camped outside its offices when scandals have arisen by not holding a press conference to announce Capello’s decision and attempting to keep secret the location of any meetings involving the manager.

Watmore set a precedent over tabloid allegations late last year, when Terry was accused of accepting £10,000 to give a private tour of Chelsea’s training ground, and is determined to hold the line that any decision involving the England team should be one for Capello, Baldini and their staff.

Terry will be given time off by Ancelotti to fly to Dubai to speak to his wife over the weekend of Chelsea’s FA Cup tie with Cardiff if he asks for it, and the club have promised to support the player over what they deem a private matter. “If he needs a holiday I will give him a holiday. If he doesn’t need a holiday then he will play against Cardiff,” Ancelotti said after yesterday’s 1-1 draw at Hull City.

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• Fabio Capello back on Thursday to settle England captaincy
• Terry already put his case to manager’s right-hand man

John Terry yesterday pleaded his case to Fabio Capello’s staff and should know by the end of the week whether he will retain the England captaincy in the wake of the avalanche of criticism which has greeted allegations that he had an affair with the former girlfriend of his international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Terry has made contact with Capello’s right-hand man, Franco Baldini, who in his capacity as general manager will speak to both players before meeting Capello on Friday in a bid to draw a line under an affair that threatens to have a hugely destabilising effect in the run-up to the World Cup.

Capello, who has been in Switzerland following surgery on his knee, is due back in England on Thursday and will meet Baldini the following day to assess the damage to team morale. There is believed to be a desire to publicly address the issue ahead of the weekend, when both will travel to Warsaw for the Euro 2012 ­qualifying draw.

Capello and Baldini are believed to be deeply unimpressed with Terry’s ­latest public indiscretions but want to hear from him and Bridge before choosing whether to strip the Chelsea defender of the captaincy.

It is understood that Capello has yet to form any firm conclusions and wants to mull over the issue and talk to Baldini in person before making a decision that could have profound implications on England’s World Cup preparations. As well as bearing in mind the effect on the England dressing room, consideration of the wider responsibilities that come with the role is expected to be a factor.

Vanessa Perroncel, Bridge’s former girlfriend and the mother of his three-year-old son, yesterday met the celebrity publicist Max Clifford and considered offers of up to £250,000 to sell her story. Terry has engaged the former News of the World editor Phil Hall to apply his crisis management expertise.

In the face of criticism from some quarters over its apparent unwillingness to act, the Football Association yesterday held the line that the matter was one for Capello and his staff rather than for the chairman, Lord Triesman, or chief executive, Ian Watmore. In its first statement since details of the alleged affair emerged on Friday following a court ruling to overturn a “superinjunction” that banned newspapers from mentioning its existence, the FA said that “Fabio Capello alone will make the decision about John Terry’s position”.

An FA spokesman said: “Fabio is fully up to speed with developments regarding John Terry. He spoke with chairman and chief executive today, who both backed him to make the best decision on footballing grounds. Fabio is dealing with the matter in his own way using his extensive experience as a football manager.”

It is understood senior FA executives spoke today to the sports minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, following his intervention at the weekend.

Capello’s verdict may be influenced by the fact that the latest round of non-footballing headlines directed at his captain are far from an isolated case. It is understood Capello spoke to Terry to remind him of the responsibilities of the role in the wake of Sunday newspaper allegations that he had been paid £10,000 to give a private tour of Chelsea’s training ground.

In the wake of that furore, which followed criticism over a badly worded marketing email apparently trading on ­Terry’s status as England captain, Watmore made it clear that he would not “back-seat drive”. He told the Guardian: “I see our role as appointing the manager and his team in this case. Having appointed Fabio and co, it’s their call on all matters to do with the playing side and the captaincy.”

The FA hierarchy are believed to be ­leaving the timing of any decision to Capello and Baldini and will back their manager whatever he decides.

Terry, who will tonight turn out for ­Chelsea against Hull City, yesterday declined to comment. Bridge, 29, has said he does not intend to comment on the reports for the sake of his son.

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Should Fabio Capello’s team be in good form, there will be an opportunity to get to the last 16 without excessive stress

The sole terror in England’s World Cup draw lay in the shadow of complacency that fell over the outcome. A country who are merely ninth in the world rankings were suddenly being treated as second favourites to raise the trophy aloft next summer.

Fabio Capello is at least an expert in cleansing minds of complacency. In private moments, all the same, he will feel grateful over this outcome. All the alarm caused by hypothetical encounters with, say, Portugal vanished.

It would be absurd to suppose that Capello lives in fear of the United States, but it will still be an opener to test the nerves. History records a famous defeat for England at the 1950 World Cup and a rather less noteworthy loss in Massachusetts 16 years ago, but the real tale is the progress of American footballers since then.

They lost the Confederations Cup final to Brazil, after leading 2-0, and had eliminated Spain, who lead the Fifa rankings at the moment, in the semi-final. Bob Bradley has men at his disposal who are highly experienced. By reaching the finals they extended a run that has now seen them qualify six times in a row.

The names, including players such as Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra and Hull City’s Jozy Altidore, are very recognisable. They are most unlikely to be discomfited by England’s style of play. England, all in all, may view their opener in Rustenburg as being packed with potential awkwardness. A clash at altitude will also reveal how effective the preparations have been.

In truth, of course, the main feeling will be one of satisfaction about the overall circumstances. Should Capello’s team be in good form there will be an opportunity to get to the last sixteen without excessive stress. A glance at Group D will remind the manager of his luck.

There is talk is already of a potential encounter with Germany in the knock-out phase, but it appears presumptuous even to speak so emphatically of those adversaries getting that far in the competition. Germany ought to feel ill-at-ease with Ghana, Australia and Serbia as their initial opponents. England, in essence, should not need to ask much more of themselves than professionalism.

Should all go to plan, Capello’s squad, if not exactly relaxing, could enjoy a gentle beginning to the World Cup. That could be a profound benefit since the emotional and physical exhaustion of men who might well have been in the latter stages of the Champions League with Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal could be profound.

There ought not to be a need to peak early. Some other countries have no prospect whatsoever of settling down in comparative peace. Every side arriving in these finals should fear African rivals and the motivation they will have on their own continent, but there are more intimidating sides than Algeria, who qualified in a play-off with Egypt. All the same, they are no innocents.

Their coach Rabah Sadaane is in the post for the fifth time and supervised Algeria at the 1986 World Cup. His players, too, will not be star struck. They call on players such as Karim Ziani, who is with Wolfsburg, the reigning Bundesliga champions. Algeria have cause, as well, to feel they are on the rise, having been outside the top 100 in the Fifa rankings in 2008. They are now 28th.

If numbers were all that mattered, England would be gleeful over facing Slovenia in the last match. In Capello’s private imaginings, he may envisage even being able to vary his line-up, letting some men put their feet up while others are shown that there is a role for them in England’s strategy.

The daydream, however, comes to shuddering halt when Slovenia’s passage to the tournament is recalled. Matjaz Kek, however briefly, outdid Guus Hiddink as his side beat the Russia in a play-off. It was an uncanny result that emphasised the resourcefulness of a nation with a population of just two million.

They took the sting out of defeat in Russia with a late goal in the 2-1 defeat in the away leg and then won the return 1-0 with a goal from Zlatko Dedic. England, however, are well-briefed after beating Slovenia in a Wembley friendly three months ago. Everything, as ever, seems to suit Capello.

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• £12m signing scored his first goal for Villa on Tuesday
• Martin O’Neill says there is ‘plenty to come’ from Downing

Stewart Downing has been reassured in talks with Fabio Capello that he remains in contention for a place in the England squad for next summer’s World Cup finals despite the winger having missed the first four months of the season recovering from a serious foot injury.

Aston Villa’s £12m summer signing from Middlesbrough made his first start for the club in Tuesday’s 4-2 Carling Cup quarter-final success at Portsmouth, scoring his first goal for the club with a far-post header, with Martin O’Neill expressing his delight at the 25-year-old’s display.

Downing has not featured for his country since winning his 23rd cap in the friendly against Slovakia in March but, having been injured since, spoke with Capello at the final qualifying game against Belarus in October and was encouraged by what he was told.

“I was invited to go to the game to watch,” said Downing, who accepted an invitation made to all the players capped under the Italian to attend the fixture at Wembley. “He just said to me: ‘Don’t rush yourself’ in case I broke down, but I haven’t done that. That gives me confidence. Once he spoke to me, it showed I am still part of his plans so the only thing I can do is keep playing well and scoring goals.

“The aim for me is the World Cup, but it probably is for six or seven of our team. They all want to be involved so it’s going to be tough, but it’s a good challenge. Even at Villa there are three of us [Downing, Ashley Young and James Milner] competing with each other for a place on the left wing. That is good competition for places. It’s good for the manager to have those problems and it’s also good for England. People say the left side has been a problem with England, but here we have three of us fighting for a place. But it wouldn’t matter to me where I played, as long as I was picked.”

Downing has featured seven times under Capello to date, more normally wide left. Yet his ability to flourish in a more central berth could now enhance his prospects of making the World Cup squad. Steven Gerrard has established himself on the left of a trio of midfielders.

O’Neill gave Downing and Young licence to swap at Fratton Park, the former drifting infield when required to operate on the left of a narrower midfield three, with Milner doing likewise on the right. “These are quality players,” said the Villa manager of his England hopefuls. “They can move and play in different positions and it’s not uncomfortable for them to go and play infield or out. There is plenty to come from Stewart when he is fully fit. He will be a really good player for us. That game signified the ability he possesses.”

“If you stay in one position, sometimes you can get lost in a game,” said Downing, who has actually returned to full fitness – if not match sharpness – sooner than had initially been expected. “But we can all interlink and go into different positions. That helps. It gives the team confidence. I started on the left against Portsmouth, but the manager said he had no problem with us changing. Ash has played a lot on the left, so we were just changing. It can cause teams problems and I think it helps us both.

“It has been frustrating being injured, but I’ve had a bit of luck and no setbacks, and the physio and manager have been great with me. Now I just want to kick on. Hopefully the manager will pick me on Saturday [against Hull City]. I have got the taste for it again and want to stay in the team. The competition for places here is quite tough so I have to be on my toes. But, and no disrespect to Hull, we should beat teams like them at home if we want to be in that top bracket of clubs. That’s the aim, and we know we’re a good team on our day.”

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• United can provide the platform for World Cup
• Striker cannot remember goal against City

Michael Owen has not given up on playing for England at next summer’s World Cup finals after being told “we are watching you” by Fabio Capello’s right-hand man.

The striker believes playing for a struggling Newcastle side, which ended last season relegated to the Championship, hampered his chances under the Italian but he remains hopeful that his summer move to Manchester United will give him the stage to impress. “He came to Highbury to watch [Newcastle] one time – I think I had five touches in the game,” Owen said.

“Then, I was coming back from injury. So there are reasons why he wouldn’t pick me so far. Yes, I have to play a bit more. I am sure with the number of games we have got, so many cup competitions, I will start my fair share.

“Capello has never talked to me about the situation. I met him after the Community Shield. I was getting on to the coach. He was coming down to get in his car to leave. He was there with Franco Baldini [Capello's assistant].

“Franco saw me and gave me the thumbs up. I walked over and shook both of their hands. Franco said, ‘How are you? Are you feeling fit?’ I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m feeling fine.’ ‘Good luck, we’ll keep watching you.’”

Owen’s cause cannot have been harmed by his match-winning performance in the recent derby against Manchester City. The former Liverpool striker ensured a lasting place in United fans’ hearts after coming off the bench to score the decisive goal in the fifth minute of injury time but his own recollections of the moment are hazy. “It is like you lose consciousness for a bit, the kick that you get from the adrenalin,” he said.

“You can count on one hand the occasions when you actually just lose it. You have to go home and think, ‘What did I do for 10, 15 seconds there?’ To score a goal, such a dramatic goal, against your arch rivals, I don’t need to build it up, but it did a lot for me.”

And Owen is confident there will be more celebrations to come as he revels in the quality surrounding him at United. “A player like me, I freely admit, I rely on team-mates. I am better in a better team. It sounds stupid, but I could name six players who are better in a poorer team. They would almost get shown up. They are more physical, they don’t like the ball to feet, they haven’t got the sense of where the ball is going to come.”

It was that sense of movement, coupled with his confidence in the class of his United team-mates, that allowed Owen to make the space for the winning goal against City. “If a corner gets cleared and the defence is squeezing out, I am not just jogging back. I am monitoring where the back four are, where the space is,” he said.

“Against City, it was a classic situation where the ball is cleared and I knew there was no one behind me. It could have taken an eye-through-a-needle pass, but, because there’s no right-back there, because he’s tucked in, I thought I can make Giggsy’s pass as easy as possible for him by pulling out as far as I could. So I’m back-pedalling as quick as possible. And as soon as Giggsy claps eyes on me, he’s on with the pass.

“The first touch, that’s the thing that obviously makes the goal. You will always hear people in the game, even my dad, talk about your first touch. It was obviously a nice goal, but it was made much easier first by a fantastic ball and also that I couldn’t have placed it in a better position.”

That he is surrounded by players such as Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes is all the more pleasing given how unlikely such an outcome seemed in the summer, when Hull City at one time seemed his most likely destination. “I was at a dead end but I thought, ‘A road will open up. I just know it will. It has to. Surely it has to. Surely there is someone who needs a striker that can score goals, who has done it in the Premiership,’” he said.

Then Alex Ferguson called. “The manager’s voice is pretty distinctive,” Owen said, “so I knew it wasn’t a wind-up. He said, ‘We are looking for a striker. I’m going to be up front, we went for [Karim] Benzema and once that was a no-go we looked around for players who are going to score goals.

“Obviously the big question is if you are fit, but if you are and we can get plenty of games, then words to the effect that it’s a no-brainer. Anyway, there’s no point in talking on the phone, we’ll chat about it tomorrow if you are free and fancy coming round.’

“I had a few butterflies before I went there. I listened more than I talked, which I thought was pretty wise. He said, ‘I know what has happened over the past few years, I know you haven’t lost anything, you are only 29, for crying out loud.’ I wasn’t sure if we were just going to chat, but then I realised, ‘Oh my God, he definitely wants to sign me.’”

Whether the move leads to a place in the England squad now depends on Owen, and Capello.

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