England and Steve Mclaren were left nursing a huge injury headache ahead of their crucial Euro clash with Croatia at Wembley next Wednesday. Michael Owen who has just recently recovered from a career threatening injury sustained at the World Cup Finals last year limped out after 32 minutes into the match against Russia. Early reports suggest that Owen, suggest a month on the sidelines for England's fourth-highest scorer and this would further deplete an English squad already without the services of their talismatic forward Wayne Rooney.

Owen was part of a largely ineffective attack against Austria at the Ernst-Happel Stadion, where England desperately want to be when it hosts the Euro 2008 final on June 29 next year. Owen was largely responsible for most of England’s chances in the early part of the first half including a first-time shot which was superbly tipped over by Alex Manninger.

England did however manage to muster a solitary goal just before the end of the first courtesy a fine header by peter Crouch which was enough to see them through albeit a little less convincingly than expected against a side ranked 88^th In FIFA ratings.

England need to win both of their matches to stay in the hunt for the Euro Qualifiers and hope that Russia doesn’t win both their matches away at Israel and at home to Andorra .