Striker Michael Owen was just as anonymous as his England team mates in Belfast on Wednesday but he will be determined to grab the limelight at St James' Park this weekend when he makes his Newcastle United debut.

England's all-stars foundered on the rock of Northern Ireland's determination as they suffered a 1-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier they were expected to win comfortably.

The backlash from the nation's top 11 players, who have been lambasted by the media, may come in the English Premier League where they now all ply their trade except for captain David Beckham.

"Unfortunately, it was a disappointing result for us but the good thing about this game is you quickly get a chance to bounce back," Owen told reporters before his debut against Fulham.

"That chance comes for me on Saturday, and I can't wait for the game now. It seems a while ago now since I was introduced to the crowd here, and I'm really looking forward to getting out there and playing.

"It's also a while since I played in the Premiership, so I'm looking forward to getting back into that as well. It will be a big occasion for me but the most important thing is to get the three points because we really need to kick on now."

OWEN EXCITED

The striker has the greatest incentive to make his mark after joining Newcastle following an earlier statement declaring his preference to rejoin boyhood club Liverpool.

But that will all be forgotten by the Geordie fans once the 25-year-old finds the net in a black-and-white shirt after his 16 million pound ($29.40 million) move from Real Madrid.

Playing alongside his former England strike partner Alan Shearer should help Owen settle into a struggling Newcastle side who have just one point from their opening four matches.

"I'm looking forward to teaming up with him [Shearer] again. We did well at international level and hopefully we can be a success for Newcastle," said Owen.

His new club could be without forward Albert Luque who arrived from Deportivo Coruna for 9.5 million pounds last month but picked up an ankle injury playing for Spain on Wednesday.

The Manchester derby also takes place on Saturday with City in the unusual position of being higher in the Premier League than United after an unbeaten start. However, Alex Ferguson's side have a game in hand and have yet to concede a goal.

The last time City won at Old Trafford in the league was 1974 when Denis Law's cheeky backheel condemned his old club to relegation. But United are on top form after their best start to a campaign since Ferguson took charge 19 years ago.

Champions Chelsea are unlikely to lose sleep over the visit of bottom club Sunderland who are facing a 20th consecutive Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, albeit including a record 15 losses in the 2002/03 season.