Owen has been left out of the squad to face Kazakhstan and Belarus in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers despite scoring three goals in the last four games.

Instead, Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe and Emile Heskey will take on forward duties along with Peter Crouch, who has been recalled to Fabio Capello's squad after a similar period out of favour.

The Newcastle striker played under Evans for two years at Anfield with the 28-year-old making a spectacular entrance into the game in the 1997-98 season.

Evans, now assistant to Wales boss John Toshack, cannot understand Owen's absence and told BBC Five Live: "For England he has always given his best....and you just want little rewards in your career and Michael hasn't had many of them.

"The last few years have been a bit of struggle with injuries but he has come back and he looks in great shape.

"He looks a lot stronger than he was before, he is not maybe as quick as he once was.

"But he still looks a good player to me - I wish he was playing for Wales."

Evans also dismissed the notion Owen may be losing out because he is an out-and-out goalscorer.

"You could hardly put that on Michael," Evans continued. "I'd totally disagree with that.

"Michael gets involved with the game, even more so now. He comes a little bit deeper.

"It's a result industry and sometimes you need a player who can dig a goal out of nothing and Michael has got that. They are the type of players you need sometimes to make the difference."

Evans believes there could have at least been a place on the bench for Owen, the fourth top scorer for England with 40 goals.

Evans continued: "I would have thought so but I am not the manager of England.

"It just seems a strange decision because Michael has got a track record at international level, he has scored goals, I just can't see why he is not in that squad even if it is just to be on the bench.

"But it's Capello's decision and you just have to live with that."

However, Evans believe Owen will continue to fight.

"It will disappoint him because that's Michael," he continued.

"When he was a young lad of about 17 I left him out once and he was first to knock on the door, so it's a great attitude he does have.

"He'll be upset about it and that's fair enough but I'm sure he'll roll his sleeves up and say 'he left me out this time but I'll get him next time and show him I can play'."