Newcastle United striker Michael Owen has paid tribute to American knee specialist Dr Richard Steadman.
The England star is currently recovering from cruciate ligament surgery performed by Steadman, who is regarded as the leading specialist in his field in the world.

Owen, who suffered the injury playing for England against Sweden earlier in the summer, told the Times: "When I came around after my cruciate ligament operation, the surgeon was standing at my bedside.
"Whatever makes you retire from football, it won't be your knee," he told me straightaway. Coming from a man as respected around the world as Dr Richard Steadman, that was the perfect way to wake up.

"Dr Steadman is a remarkable man as well as a renowned knee surgeon. Something has to have gone pretty wrong for you to wind up on his operating table but I flew back to England with renewed hope as well as a reconstructed ligament. He makes you feel better in every way.
"Perhaps it is walking into his office and seeing all the signed shirts and thank you letters from dozens of grateful sportsmen including plenty of familiar names. Alan Shearer, Henrik Larsson, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Craig Bellamy - you know these guys have returned from major knee surgery as strong as ever. You know that your career could not be in better hands. He even took me for dinner - that's taking care of your patients - and I have left him with another shirt for his wall if he can find the space.

"The most important thing is that Dr Steadman believes that it could not have gone better. He had already saved my cartilages which should ensure that I have no long term knee problems and, with my new cruciate, I am regarding this season simply as an unfortunate pause in a career which has plenty of years left."