MANCHESTER (AFP) - Michael Owen insists he has been unaffected by the fierce criticism that has dogged his short career at Real Madrid and is desperate to use England's World Cup qualifier against Wales to restore his flagging reputation.
The Real Madrid striker has endured a torrid time since his summer transfer from Liverpool and hit a new low when he was forced to withdraw after just 52 minutes of the weekend defeat against Deportivo la Coruna with a back injury.
Owen, 24, is confident he can recover in time to lead England's attack in the Group Six clash at Old Trafford on Saturday and insists his inauspicious start to life in La Liga has done nothing to diminish his goalscoring abilities.
Reduced to a substitute role for much of the season, Owen has yet to score for his new club and recognises that his England place is under threat from exciting youngsters Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe.
But the forward is adamant his form merits inclusion in Sven Goran Eriksson's side despite his lack of first team action.
"I know what values I can bring to the England team," said Owen, who has given himself until Thursday to prove his fitness for the Wales game.
"There has been a constant supply of goals throughout my career and I don't feel as though I've dipped to a low level.
"I'm not doubting anything about myself. I'm perfectly content with myself. I'm not ten times as better or worse as a player than when I went to bed the other night.
"I know for a fact that Madrid haven't seen anything like the best of me yet, but they are certainly going to. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that I will be a success out there, but I just have to be patient at the moment."
For all his bullishness, Owen accepts that his international future will come under serious threat if he is unable to force his way past Raul, Ronaldo or Fernando Morientes and claim a place in the Real Madrid starting line-up.
"The longer I go without playing for Madrid, there is no doubt that you can't expect to get picked for England if you have hardly played," he added.
"If I'm still in this situation in three, four, five months time, the manager has every right to think that I'm not fit or shouldn't be in the squad. But it's the start of the season."
And while the player acknowledges the transition to life in a new country hasn't helped his efforts to establish himself amongst Madrid's Galacticos, he rejects suggestions he was wrong to leave Anfield for the Bernabeu Stadium.
"I haven't regretted it," he said.
"I didn't go into the move with blinkers on. I knew that there would be a new language and everything else. I'm perfectly happy, but I'd like things to settle down out there. I want to get a house because I've been in a hotel for eight weeks with a little kid running around.
"When things aren't perfect off the pitch, they often aren't perfect on it either, so I want to get a house and settle down, meet a few people and learn the language.
"It's not easy, but I knew that would be the case the and I'm still hungry to do well out there. I'm not a quitter and I will fight to the death. I'm sure I will be a success over there."
England captain David Beckham sympathises with his team-mate having made the switch from the Premiership 12 months previously and is adamant Owen's international credentials remain intact.
"Michael's still good enough to be in this team no matter what anyone has said about him in the last couple of months and whether he is playing for Real Madrid or not," Beckham said.
"He doesn't become a bad player overnight, he's still a world class player. But ultimately it's down to the manager whether he plays against Wales.
"Confidence helps everyone and maybe being away with the England team will help Michael."