Newcastle United striker Michael Owen will miss England's Euro2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia next month due to a hernia op.

Owen will have surgery in Germany on Friday, which is expected to leave him sidelined for at least three weeks.

Toon boss Sam Allardyce had been hoping Owen, 27, would avoid surgery.

He played the hitman against West Ham at the weekend despite reports he needed an op.

But the player was forced to limp off early in the second half.