"Injuries are part of football but this has been disappointing because I have never really suffered any muscle problems before.
"The latest one has taken longer than I expected. I did it on the Wednesday and initially thought I would be able to play (for England) against Israel the following weekend.
"But I was a mile off then and still nowhere near for the Russia match on the Wednesday afterwards.
"Maybe we just didn't get the timescale right. Muscle injuries generally take three weeks and that is exactly the time frame I am in at the moment.
"It is great to be back training again but I have only been involved once, so Roma is probably more likely for my comeback than Birmingham.
"But the main thing is that I am fit. Hopefully I will stay that way for the rest of the season."
Ferguson:
"Owen trained yesterday and did well. We will see what he is like tomorrow but we are very hopeful he will be okay."