Fabio Capello has admitted the debate over Michael Owen has given him plenty of food for thought.
The England manager has continued to overlook the striker despite his proven pedigree at international level.
Capello has always stressed that he makes his selections based on club form, with Owen not yet established as a regular starter at Manchester United following his summer move to Old Trafford.
Capello compared his situation to that of Italy coach Marcello Lippi, who has been criticised for leaving out Sampdoria forward Antonio Cassano.
“Cassano? I have Owen. I already have a tormentor, each one has their own,” said Capello.
Meanwhile, Capello ruled out taking charge of Italy but refused to rule out the possibility of managing Juventus again at some point in the future.
He said: “Coach of the Italian national team? No, never.
“A return to Juventus? You can never say never, in football anything can happen.”
Capello spent two years with Juventus between 2004 and 2006 and guided the club to back-to-back titles, although these trophies were later expunged from the records because of the Italian match-fixing scandal.
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