Jermain Defoe gets a rare chance to start an international ahead of Michael Owen when he leads the England attack against Denmark in a friendly on Wednesday.Defoe will also play in place of Owen in next month’s World Cup qualifier in Wales, which Real Madrid’s now fifth-choice striker will miss through suspension.Although Owen remains Sven-Goran Eriksson’s first choice to play just ahead of Wayne Rooney up front, the chance for Defoe to introduce a sense of doubt into the England manager’s mind is too good to miss. “It’s been at the back of my mind,” said Defoe, who realised his chance back in March, when Owen picked up a yellow card in England’s 2-0 Group Six win over Azerbaijan in Newcastle.“I just wanted to make sure I had a good pre-season and got off to a good start in the new campaign,” added the Spurs striker. Defoe, 22, is also desperate to make the World Cup squad if England qualify for the finals as expected after missing out on Euro 2004.But his chances of deposing Owen permanently as England’s main striker remain slim, especially as Owen is likely to make a rare substitutes’ appearance for his country at the Parken Stadium, with Darren Bent hoping for a debut after his first senior call-up.
