England and Newcastle United player Michael Owen has undergone surgery to repair the broken toe he sustained playing against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

The striker had a metal pin inserted on the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the operation in a Manchester hospital, the Newcastle website reported.

He suffered the injury in a collision with Tottenham's England goalkeeper Paul Robinson and is likely to be out of action for between two and three months.

A March return would give Newcastle's record signing plenty of time to return to full fitness ahead of the World Cup. England play their first group game against Paraguay in Frankfurt on June 10th.

With 35 goals from his 75 international appearances the 26-year-old is a vital  part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup plans.