Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce attempted to pull Michael Owen out of England's victory over Estonia, it has been revealed.
Mark Taylor, Newcastle's head of Sport Science and Medicine, wrote to the Football Association last week asking for Owen to be relieved of his England duties on the grounds of his lack of fitness.
The England medical team ignored Newcastle's request, preferring to make their own assessment of Owen, and also to listen to the player's views about his fitness. They then went along with Owen, who declared himself fit to face Estonia at Wembley yesterday, just a fortnight after having stomach surgery in Germany.