Source: Telegraph
Michael Owen could regain England place at Hull City insists Paul Duffen
Duffen is hoping to open talks with Owen and his representatives later this week in an attempt to persuade the striker to join the Yorkshire club when his contract at Newcastle expires.
Hull may be one of the more unfashionable Premier League clubs but Duffen is confident that manager Phil Brown could provide the stage for Owen to regain his place in the England squad ahead of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Owen, 29, will be available on a free transfer this summer just four years after he moved to Newcastle from Real Madrid in a £17-million deal that was followed by a spate of injuries that saw the former Liverpool player lose his place in England head coach Fabio Capello's squad
But Duffen is convinced that Owen, who has 40 England goals to his credit, could force himself back into the international reckoning at Hull which would give him the chance to break Sir Bobby Charlton's goal-scoring record which stands at 49.
Duffen told Telegraph Sport: 'What I personally believe is that at this moment in his career what Michael needs is to go to a club where he will play regularly and have the opportunity to lead the line and get his career back on track.
'I personally believe that rather than being an occasional performer in a bigger squad that it would benefit his career to be more pivotal at a club where he would get the striker's role regularly.
'As a next step it would be very beneficial for Michael and the club.
"That's because of the quality we are planning to bring in over the summer as well that he can play with that would enhance his own opportunities would make it an exciting new chapter in his career.'
'So is Hull the place where he could realise his international ambitions? I suppose the answer to the question is yes absolutely.'
Owen has also been linked with Everton and Stoke and Duffen is in no mood to try to rush him into an early decision on his future employment.
'It's really a question of waiting until the end of the month and out of respect for respect for his current employers he has made it quite clear that he won't enter into negotiations with other prospective employers until he is at liberty to do so,' Duffen added.
'Really it is a question of waiting for the month to expire when his current deal expires.
Technically, he is still under contract at Newcastle so it would be inappropriate for anyone to talk about his future in detail at this moment in time.
'Plus, he is very keen not just to be seen to be do things properly which I respect so therefore we have not pressed the point and we are awaiting the time when we can engage him properly.
'Things have been coming together well. Obviously the transfer window always starts slowly but it's like transactional market place. Until there is some liquidity it is hard to get things done and a lot of moves are dependent on other players moving own elsewhere and other things happening.'
Hull have been linked with former West Bromwich Albion striker Marc-Antoine Fortune and Duffen is cautiously optimistic about landing the Nancy player and Brown's other transfer targets.
'I am really happy with the progress we are making and I am confident that we will achieve our targets by the time the season starts in August,' Duffen added.
