Owen joined the Magpies from Real Madrid two seasons ago but he has been floored by injuries and doubts over his motivation to do well on Tyneside.

The 27-year-old Owen though believes a bright future lies just around the corner in the new season especially with the recent arrival of former Bolton boss Allardyce.

"I believe that these can be good times to be at Newcastle, which is why I am more than happy to be here," He wrote in his column in the Times.

"There has been plenty of speculation about my future, but I can assure the Newcastle fans that I didn't start any of it.

"There was a lot of talk from other quarters and my attitude to rumour has always been to ignore it."