Alan Shearer has insisted Michael Owen never wanted to leave Newcastle amid speculation over his future this summer.

The former Magpies skipper was instrumental in persuading the 27-year-old England striker to make his £17m move to Tyneside two years ago, and has looked on with great sympathy as injuries have wrecked his career in the North-East to date.

New manager Sam Allardyce braced himself for a hostile approach when it emerged that Owen had a £9m escape clause in his contract, but that never came.

Now Owen is back in harness and scoring goals for both club and country, Allardyce is more delighted than ever that it did not, although close friend Shearer is adamant that Owen never wanted a move.

He said: ''I know Sam was delighted that no-one came in for him, all the fans were delighted and I know Michael did not want to leave Newcastle.

''He wanted to prove a point. He hasn't played as many games as he would have liked to up there, he hasn't scored as many goals as he wants to, so I think he wants to stay and do that for Newcastle United.''

Two goals in as many starts for Newcastle, who head for Derby tonight, and three in England's Euro 2008 qualifier victories over Israel and Russia have signalled a return to form for Owen.

Shearer, who played alongside the former Liverpool hitman for both club and country, knows just what makes him tick, and is confident there is more to come.

He said: ''I have worked at close quarters with Michael, so I know how good he is.

''He doesn't have to prove anything to himself or to me or to anyone, really.

''It makes me laugh when people say he's not the same player because of his injury, he's lost two or three yards.

''He still comes back despite his injuries and scores goals, and he is if not the best, one of the best around at doing that.

''If you create chances for him, more often than not, as his record suggests wherever he has played, he will score goals.

''It does take time for you to get back to match pace, and when you have been out for a while with a serious injury, what tends to happen is for the first two or three games, it goes well for you because the excitement is there of getting back to playing football.

''But then after that, reality sets in and that's when you have got to work at your fitness and try to get to where you want to be.

''Over the last couple of weeks, he has slowly but surely been getting better, and the chances he has scored for England over the last 10 days or so have been typical Michael Owen.''