Owen ready for 'tough' Stoke

Passing on signing him, then selling Andy Carroll.

The former England striker this week signed for the Potters having been available as a free agent following his release by Manchester United at the end of last season. He endured three injury-blighted years at Old Trafford and now feels he has to prove himself at the Britannia Stadium despite his experiences with United and previously with Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle and England.

Rare occassion in a Devil shirt.

 "There are many strikers at the club, I'm not expecting it to be an easy ride. I'll have to work, obviously, to play any part. I'm prepared to do that. There are a lot of top players at the club, so I'm hopefully going to fit in well with the squad and have a good season."

He spent some time without a club this summer.

Owen was strongly linked with Stoke throughout the summer and more recently with former club Liverpool, boyhood team Everton and Sunderland. His move to Stoke was announced on Tuesday and was ratified by the Premier League, after confusion over whether he had been included in the club's 25-man squad for the competition, the following day.

Will he be able to be back in England's fold?

 Owen first held talks with Potters boss Tony Pulis earlier in the summer and is now keen to start working under him. Owen said: "I met the manager two or three months ago. We were singing from the same hymn sheet in many ways. It is important to have a healthy respect for your manager and understand what he wants and different things. I feel as if I'll get that here with Tony Pulis. We had a good chat and it's just a shame it took a few months after that before I signed. But anyway, we're here now and I'm looking forward to it."

Owen has worked on his fitness privately but is unsure he will be match-sharp by then. "I know how I feel but in many ways I'm unsure in terms of exactly what stage I'm at compared to the rest of the squad. They've had a long pre-season, so it might turn out when I do a few tests that I'm quite a bit behind or it might be that I'm further forward than I thought - I just don't know. I'll have some tests over the next few days and gauge where I am, and hopefully I'll be out there as soon as possible."