Owen's Groin Injury Provides Latest Blow to Kinnear Reign

Michael Owen will miss Newcastle United's home game against Manchester City on Monday and is a major doubt for next Saturday's derby at Sunderland after suffering a groin strain. The striker pulled up in discomfort during a work-out on Wednesday and had a scan yesterday.

Joe Kinnear, Newcastle's interim manager, initially feared Owen had torn a groin muscle and was facing up to six weeks on the sidelines so yesterday's news, that he will be ready to return in "seven to 10 days", was relatively reassuring.

Other issues at St James' Park appear as opaque as ever. According to Kinnear the seven consortiums said to be interested must today submit formal bids to buy the club from Mike Ashley. The man who is brokering the sale, Keith Harris, the chairman of Seymour Pierce, has reiterated: "There are no deadlines, and never have been any deadlines, for bids." But Kinnear said: "Friday is the deadline as far as I know. I am led to believe Friday will be a big day."

Monday should be memorable for the former Wimbledon manager, who will make his first appearance in the home dugout after completing a two-game touchline ban dating from his time in charge of Nottingham Forest. "It will be a very proud moment," he said. "I'll probably be pushed back on to my bench around 40 times by some sort of official, but I act quickly if things go wrong."

Already Kinnear, whose first match ended in a 2-2 draw at Everton, believes he is beginning to win over fans deeply underwhelmed by his installation. "Maybe I am gradually getting them round to my way of thinking," he said. "Maybe they are seeing that I am a totally football man. And a bit of a lunatic at times." He has not won over Gerry Francis, however, who has turned down the offer of a coaching job to stay at Stoke City.

Remarkably restrained in front of the journalists who, a fortnight ago, he had sworn at 52 times in five minutes, Kinnear let slip just one expletive during his weekly press conference. It appeared he had taken heed of a formal warning from the Football Association to mind his language. "Joe wrote us a letter of apology and in view of it we decided not to charge him," an FA spokesman said.

Newcastle can anticipate correspondence from Fifa after it emerged that the game's international ruling body is examining whether Jonás Gutiérrez's decision to buy out his contract at Real Mallorca and join the Tyneside club on a free this summer breached its rules. Real Mallorca and Argentina's Velez Sarsfield, who had a 50% stake in the winger, are demanding compensation.