LONDON (AFP) -- Steve McClaren has signaled his intention to ignore Newcastle's anxiety over Michael Owen and ask the injury-prone striker to lead England's attack against both Estonia and Russia.

Estonia should not present Wayne Rooney and co. with an overly taxing afternoon at Wembley on Saturday and McClaren has indicated that he is contemplating resting some of his first-choice XI.
Defenders John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole are all carrying bookings and would risk suspension for the more testing assignment in Russia next Wednesday if they were to collect another yellow card.
But McClaren's inclination to keep something in reserve for Moscow does not appear to apply to Owen, who had a tear in a stomach muscle surgically repaired on September 29.
The Newcastle striker, who is adamant himself that he is ready to play both matches as a result of the pioneering techniques used by his German surgeon, underlined his importance with three goals in the wins over Israel and Russia last month which put England's qualifying campaign back on track.
""No risks will be taken, but Michael is a very, very important player for us,"" McClaren said.
The head coach is keen to play down the extent of his differences with Sam Allardyce, the Newcastle manager who has made no secret of his fears that Owen could come back to him injured.
""There is no club vs. country issue, no conflict,"" McClaren insisted. ""It is just dialogue between myself, the manager, the medics and the player. Ultimately we don't take risks with any player but anybody in my situation would want Michael playing.""
McClaren's other options in attack have been significantly reduced. A broken metatarsal has deprived him of the power of Emile Heskey, who dovetailed so effectively with Owen in last month's matches, and injuries have also forced Dean Ashton and Andrew Johnson out of his squad.
Peter Crouch meanwhile has hardly played for Liverpool this season and looked desperately short of confidence in last week's Champions League defeat by Marseille.
All of which points to Owen starting alongside Rooney, who has injured for the Russia and Israel matches, to ensure that England's first-choice strike pair reconnect before they run out on to the plastic pitch that awaits in Moscow.
A victory in the Russian capital could virtually seal England's place in next year's finals in Austria and Switzerland.
But McClaren has alerted his players to the dangers of allowing the importance of that fixture to distract them from the immediate task, a mistake that was made when a home clash with Macedonia at this time last year came four days before England were due to face Croatia in Zagreb.
""We have put ourselves in pole position but we have said to the players and the staff 'forget Russia'. We have got to concentrate on Estonia.
""We have got to make sure we don't make the mistake we made 12 months ago when we drew at home with Macedonia. That cost us two precious points and we need that positive result against Estonia.
Estonia failed to garner a single point in their first seven games in group E but they have become significantly harder to beat since experienced Dane Viggo Jensen took over as coach in August and have since beaten Andorra, secured a creditable draw in Macedonia and restricted Croatia to a 2-0 win in Zagreb -- the same margin that England lost by.
""They've got a got a new coach and a new way of playing,"" McClaren said.
Skipper John Terry has insisted he wants to face Estonia despite being forced to wear a mask to protect a fractured cheekbone and the Chelsea centerback may get his wish following the withdrawal from the squad of backup defender Wes Brown, who has been sent back to Manchester United with a knee injury.
McClaren has pledged to keep faith with Paul Robinson in goal, despite his indifferent form for Tottenham, and the signs are that he could sidestep his major selection dilemma -- whether or not to restore Frank Lampard to the midfield.
While Lampard was out injured last month, Gareth Barry grabbed his opportunity by combining with Steven Gerrard in central midfielder more convincingly than the Chelsea midfielder ever has.
But with Shaun Wright-Phillips only just back from injury, McClaren may opt for a Gerrard-Lampard-Barry three-man midfield.
""Frank Lampard has not got anything extra to prove,"" the coach insisted.
""He has been a great servant for England. He was our man of the match against Germany (in August friendly defeat). Unfortunately, he has not played since then, but he comes back into the picture now. He had 90 minutes for Chelsea at the weekend and he is looking good in training.""