Michael Owen feels he has let Newcastle down after suffering a knee injury which will keep him out of action until 2007.

The 26-year-old ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament just over a minute into England's final World Cup group game against Sweden.

"I can control my emotions and I can honestly say that when I was flat on my back with ice-packs around my knee, it wasn't self-pity I was feeling but guilt," he said.

"I was sending text messages apologising to all sorts of people for letting them down.

"I feel really guilty when I think of the people at Newcastle United. I think of the chairman Freddy Shepherd, who has invested all that money (Owen cost £17 million from Real Madrid) and Glenn Roeder, the manager, who has kept in touch through the tournament and been very supportive. And those great fans who have only seen me for 11 matches."

Shepherd has already described the compensation being paid by the FA to cover the loss of Owen is "far too low".

For Owen's part, he hopes to return to Germany on July 9th to collect a World Cup winner's medal.

He wrote in his Times column: "As I left the team hotel in Germany yesterday to fly home, I told Sven-Goran Eriksson that I would be back out for the World Cup final.

"My tournament might be over, but I still want that medal around my neck. It is strange to think that my farewell yesterday was the last I might see of Sven, a manager who has picked me whenever I have been available and for whom I have scored a lot of goals.

"But I haven't given up hope of seeing him again on July 9th."  PA