Gary Lineker hopes Michael Owen makes England’s World Cup squad.

The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle United striker has been largely overlooked by Fabio Capello, who has picked him just once since succeeding Steve McClaren as national coach.

A move to Manchester United in the summer was expected to earn him a recall, but so far Owen has failed to make a huge impact, although he scored a memorable winner against Manchester City.

"There is always room for a 'goal-hanger' at a World Cup,” Lineker wrote in his Mail on Sunday column. "I was hopeless in a poor side and Michael was similar at Newcastle.

“But playing for England at the World Cup is different, it is knockout football of the highest order. In those circumstances, the key assets for a striker are movement and mental strength.

"It gets the juices going when you know the difference between glory and failure is taking a split-second opportunity watched by a whole nation and 500 million people around the world.

"Not everyone thrives on that kind of pressure, but we know Michael does. He showed again in the Manchester derby. In other words, he is the perfect impact player for Capello to have on the bench."

Get all the latest news on your club. Visit 360 Football, the best football news aggregator on the web!