Newcastle United striker Michael Owen is backing former Liverpool teammate Paul Ince to be a success at Blackburn Rovers.

He told the Evening Chronicle: "I was with Paul at Liverpool, and he's a really good lad. He only lives about 15 minutes from me now.

"He was at my house two or three weeks ago as his daughter was looking at buying a pony, and my daughter has outgrown her's.

"He was a top player, and hopefully he'll be a top manager as well.

"Blackburn are a decent team, but we are at home and if we are on our game, we are not fearful of them."