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Stoke to review Michael Owen's future in summer

Michael Owen has scored one goal for Stoke © PA Photos

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Michael Owen could still win himself a new contract at Stoke City - despite not starting a Premier League game for the club this season.

Owen, 33, has a deal which expires at the end of this season and he has struggled to make an impact at the Britannia Stadium - following his free transfer from Manchester United last summer.

The striker has been hit by a series of injuries and will miss Saturday's trip to Fulham with a thigh strain suffered in training. Doubts remain over his ability to make an impact at the highest level.

The former England international has managed a handful of substitute appearances and one goal, but Pulis remains open-minded on Owen's situation and insists no decision will be made until the end of the current campaign.

"We will review it at the end of the season with Dean Whitehead and three or four others," Pulis said. "It will help his cause if he is in the team, of course it will. Michael wants to play. He wants to play every week.

"I haven't got a player in that dressing room that doesn't want to play. There is no-one in there happy to just sit and pick up the money. We needed to get Michael games, but over Christmas was difficult because there was so much going on.

"But once we got that out of the way we arranged two or three games, which he was part of."

Pulis also rejected suggestions there was any clause in Owen's contract guaranteeing him a second season if he played a fixed amount of matches.

"No, he doesn't need to play a certain amount of games to win a contract," Pulis said. "There is nothing like that in his deal. There are no strings attached to his contract."

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