Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he hopes to call on Michael Owen for the Premier League title run-in.

The injury-plagued striker has been out of action for almost five months following a thigh problem that he picked up in November.

"He's certainly making good progress," Ferguson told reporters. "What happened was he came back into our training a couple of weeks ago and then after one of the sessions he did some physical work with the sports science team and overdid it. So it knocked him back a few days, but he should be joining us this week.

"If you think about ever needing a player to score an important goal for you is there anyone better than Michael Owen? He will be a really welcome addition to our squad, even if it were to be for the last few games of the season."

The Red Devils can move three points clear of rivals Manchester City at the top of the table with a win against Fulham at Old Trafford on Monday night.