Stoke City signing Michael Owen is confident getting up-to-speed with the rest of the squad over his match fitness.

The striker's one-year contract is understood to include a basic wage of less than £20,000 a week, but heavily weighted towards appearances and goals.

He said: "I have done as much as I can at home and with a physio I know, so I come here in decent shape.

"I'll obviously need to catch up a bit and we will be assessing me over the next couple of days, but first and foremost I am delighted to be here.

"Inevitably most players miss one or two games during the season, but if I can stay fit for the majority of the campaign then that's got to be my personal goal."