Gerrard values Owen at £50m

Steven Gerrard says his Liverpool team-mate Michael Owen is worth £50 million following his stunning hat-trick in England's 5-1 win over Germany.

Midfielder Gerrard also scored in Munich but acknowledges that Owen is the man of the moment and feels any prospective buyer would have to pay more than the £48m it took Real Madrid to lure Zinedine Zidane away from Juventus.

"I don't think anyone would doubt that Michael is up there with the best in the world," Gerrard said. "Strikers go through phases of being hot and cold and he is definitely hot at the moment.

"It is a great feeling when you go out on the pitch knowing he is in this kind of form. You do feel close to being invincible. You know you have a chance of winning every game. He is frightening.

"If Zidane's worth £48m then Michael is definitely worth £50m and that is probably the highest compliment I can give him. But as far as I am concerned, he is priceless."

Franz Beckenbauer believes England's 5-1 win on Saturday proves they have the ability to take on the world's best.

Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner both as a player and a manager with Germany, is now convinced that Sven-Goran Eriksson's side can make a "real impact" in next year's finals in Japan and South Korea.

"When they scored their third goal they started to play football that would have beaten anyone in the world," Beckenbauer told The Sun.

"Michael Owen was simply unstoppable. Our defenders were slow and they just could not handle his pace, while his finishing was unbelievable.

"And with David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard playing the way they did, we were swept aside.

"Now it looks as if England have the automatic qualification while we face the play-offs.

"Should that be the outcome, England could make a real impact in Japan and South Korea.

"It will not be easy - it will not be easy for any European side in the Far East.

"But if England produce the form they showed against us they have as good a chance as anyone."

Interestingly, Beckenbauer rates Saturday's win as an even greater display than England's 4-2 World Cup Final victory over Germany in 1966.

He added: "I have never seen a better England team. And I have never seen an England team playing better football.

"They had pace, aggression, movement and skill. It was fantasy football with England on a high."