NEWCASTLE boss Sam Allardyce will run the rule over Argentinian trialist Aldo Duscher later today as he steps up his preparations for the start of the new Premiership season.

And as he continues to rebuild the squad inherited from his predecessor, Glenn Roeder, Allardyce will also have been buoyed by confirmation of Michael Owen's commitment to the Magpies.

Almost two weeks after The Northern Echo revealed that the England international would not be leaving St James' Park this summer, Owen has finally spelled out his determination to succeed in a black and white shirt.

The striker will return to pre-season training this morning following a two-day break, and he will be accompanied by 28-year-old midfielder Duscher.

The South American, who is currently out of contract after spending seven seasons with Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna, will undergo a trial at Newcastle's Benton training ground as he attempts to secure a lucrative deal with the Magpies. The combative midfielder, who achieved notoriety when he fractured David Beckham's metatarsal ahead of the 2002 World Cup finals in a Champions League clash between Deportivo and Manchester United, flew into England yesterday.

Allardyce tried to sign him for Bolton last summer, but Duscher, who played against Newcastle in the Intertoto Cup two years ago, chose to remain in Spain.

His contract with Deportivo has now expired, though, and Allardyce is keen to secure the services of a player who cost his former employers £9m when he moved from Sporting Lisbon in 2000.

Allardyce's pursuit of Duscher would appear to signal the end of his interest in Barcelona midfielder Edmilson, as the two players share many of the same tough-tackling attributes.

Similarly, a tentative interest in Manchester United full-back Gabriel Heinze has been scuppered by the Argentinian's reluctance to move to St James' Park.

Heinze, who is currently competing in the Copa America in Venezuela, last night spoke of his "pride" at the interest being shown by "Liverpool, Juventus and Real Madrid". Tellingly, the name of Newcastle United was not mentioned.

The Magpies also failed to figure in Owen's lexicon for much of the summer but, after months of being linked with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal thanks to the presence of a £9m release clause in his contract, the 27-year-old finally broke his silence on his future yesterday.

Owen informed Allardyce that he would not be leaving Tyneside a fortnight ago, and after making just 14 senior appearances in almost two years with the Magpies, Newcastle's record signing is confident that he will prove his value this season.

"I believe that these can be good times to be at Newcastle, which is why I am more than happy to be here," said Owen, who is expected to be involved in Newcastle's opening pre-season fixture at Hartlepool next Tuesday.

"There has been plenty of speculation about my future, but I can assure the Newcastle fans that I didn't start any of it.

"There was a lot of talk from other quarters and my attitude to rumour has always been to ignore it. I don't really feel that I should be responding all the time to stories in the newspapers and I certainly didn't want to be forced into making comments.

"I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves and I just wish there had been more opportunities to show the Newcastle fans what I am capable of. I am sure that is to come."

Owen was part of the Newcastle squad that spent seven days in a training camp in Austria earlier this month.

That was his first experience of working under Allardyce, and the striker has already been impressed by what he has seen.

"It has been an eye-opener to see the innovations from Sam Allardyce," he explained. "We've been on a training camp in Austria and from bike rides at 7.30am to Pilates in the afternoon, we've been shown a different approach to the traditional slog of pre-season.

"I met the manager when I was with the England camp at the end of last season, so we've been in a good dialogue all summer.

"He has brought in his backroom staff from Bolton and shown that he intends to do things thoroughly. We've not seen him at work on a match-day, but you can see how meticulous he is."