At a time of year when most high-profile footballers have been lounging on far-flung beaches, Michael Owen has spent the summer on the edge of his seat. Having contracted mumps, which can have uncomfortable side-effects for adult males, the Newcastle United striker has been working to a personalised training routine during preseason.

When Owen withdrew from Fabio Capello’s England squad for the friendly matches against the United States and Trinidad & Tobago at the end of last season, the initial diagnosis was that he had picked up a virus from the vaccinations he had been given to travel to the West Indies. Instead, hospital tests discovered that the 28-year-old had developed an illness that can cause painful swelling in areas other than the face.

After a long period of rest, Owen has been unable to train at full tilt with the rest of Kevin Keegan’s squad and missed last weekend’s 4-1 victory over Hartlepool United. He will also be absent for the match away to Doncaster Rovers tomorrow and may not feature in Newcastle’s two-match tour to Majorca. With Mark Viduka and Andy Carroll unfit, the manager’s options in attack are limited.

“When I pulled out of the England squad, everyone thought I had a virus,” Owen said. “But it turned out that I had the mumps and they would not let me go in case I infected any of the other England players. And while I would not say I was in a bad way, it wasn’t very pleasant at all.

“I was quite ill and I was not allowed to do anything for four weeks. When I came back to Newcastle our doctor here worked out a programme for me and it has been slightly different from the rest of the players. And instead of going straight into the deep end with the rest of the lads, we have been making slow progress.

“Perhaps I might get to play in one of the games in Majorca next weekend. But I should definitely be OK for our first home friendly with PSV Eindhoven on August 6.”

Owen will have another opportunity to hone his fitness at St James’ Park, against Valencia on August 9, and then a full week of training before Newcastle’s visit to Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League the next Sunday. While Viduka’s Achilles tendon injury is not as significant as first feared, Keegan has said that the striker is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season.

Obafemi Martins is reported to have flown home to Nigeria after his mother died of shock in her car trying to escape from an oil tanker that caught fire near her home in Lagos. The striker will miss the rest of preseason and could be absent for the start of the season.

Keegan, meanwhile, has ridiculed suggestions that Shay Given, the Ireland goalkeeper, was ever a candidate to be sold. “Why get rid of a top-class player?” the manager said. “We’re looking to bring them in to play alongside the ones we’ve already got.”