Shearer is one of the best strikers England had in the last 20 years. He talks to World Cup official site about his national team, their chances and Michael Owen.

In an exclusive interview, Shearer told FIFAworldcup.com: “He was obviously disappointed that it had happened. He’s down to earth and level-headed, but unfortunately he knows these things happen in football and you can’t do anything about it. He knows he just has to get on with his operation and rehabilitation.

“He’s a strong character, but I think he’s had to be. He’s been in the game since a very early age and had a lot of ups and downs. This is another down, but he’ll come through it and it won’t be a problem.”

Shearer, who retired from football this summer after persuading Owen to join him at Newcastle United for his final season, knows the club he has supported all his life will probably be without their main marksman for the rest of the year, but he concedes it is England who may suffer most in the short term.

“It’s a big blow because he’s their top goalscorer and I think he’s played the most games under Sven-Goran Eriksson. They are not only losing a goalscorer, they are losing experience as well. It will be tough for them but, fingers crossed, they can cope with it,” said Shearer, who has admitted he will hold talks with the next England coach Steve McClaren about possibly joining his backroom staff after Germany 2006.

Striking options
“We’ve only got Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch and Theo Walcott as forwards in the squad, so it’s fingers-crossed that Rooney or Crouch don’t get injured. If they do, we could be in trouble.”

Shearer does not envisage 17-year-old Walcott making the same kind of impact that Owen had on the FIFA World Cup eight years ago, though he admitted that the Arsenal youngster is as much of an unknown quantity to him as anyone.

He said: “I’d be surprised if Sven plays Walcott, but he might have to at this moment in time with the way things are. He hasn’t used him as yet, but it remains to be seen whether he will between now and the end of the tournament. Only Sven can answer that.

“No-one knows about Walcott because no-one’s seen him play. Unless you’ve watched Southampton early on last season you wouldn’t know and he hasn’t played in the Premier League, so no-one really knows what he’s like.”

As for England in general, Shearer is satisfied they have reached the Round of 16, but would like to see the team step up a gear and follow the shining example of Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole.

“In three games they’ve produced very different performances. They’ve won two and drawn one, so you can’t say much though they haven’t been eye-catching. They’ve got the results that they needed and that’s what matters. In an ideal world, the performances would be great, but you’re not going to get that all the time in football.

Cole impressive
“Joe Cole was sensational against Sweden. He was brilliant in the first half. Some of the skills and his goal in particular were outstanding and he’s having a good tournament,” he said.

Shearer retired from international football before Korea/Japan 2002 and he is in Germany working as a television pundit for BBC Sport. He could arguably have filled the goalscoring gap left by Owen, though is satisfied he made the right decision.

“Without a doubt I still wish I was involved in some ways,” he admitted. “Those are the best years of your life. Everyone who has retired says the same and they can’t all be wrong. You live your life for playing in big games and tournaments like this. It’s a great experience, but I’ve got no regrets whatsoever. I’m very pleased with the way things have worked out for myself.”

Shearer, who says the Netherlands and Argentina have been the teams he has been most impressed with so far, added: “I’m still hopeful and praying that England go all the way. Ecuador will be a tough game, though I think that’s the knock-out match they would have wanted.

“Given the choice between them or Germany, I’m sure they would have picked Ecuador, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. I still think England will have enough to get through but let’s get past this stage before we start talking about whether England can beat Holland or Portugal in the quarter-finals.”

Source: WCoffsite