Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder feels there is a small chance Michael Owen could return to action this season following his successful knee operation in Colorado this week but he wont be rushing the player back.

Roeder said Owen, who has been out since rupturing cruciate ligaments in June, can now see "the light at the end of the tunnel" as he begins what is certain to be a lengthy rehabilitation process.

Owen may yet have to miss the whole of the Premiership campaign but Roeder is determined not to place a time-scale on the striker's return.

Roeder said: "We have to say it is long-term, but beyond that I would not like to make a prediction because football has a nasty habit of proving you wrong.

"If we aimed for March or April then he wasn't fit, people would perceive it as a setback, while if we said May people would write him off for the whole season.

"The most important thing is that Michael comes back and has rehab of the highest quality. It might take seven, eight or nine months, we don't know because every injury of this kind is different."  PA