David Beckham Likely to Miss World Cup
David Beckham looks set to miss out on his dream of playing in a fourth World Cup after he tore his Achilles tendon during AC Milan's 1-0 victory over Chievo on Sunday.
Beckham is due to fly out to Finland on Monday to receive specialist surgery on the injured tendon.
The injury comes as a massive blow to the 34-year old midfielder and England coach Fabio Capello has conceded that it has all but ended his hopes of being a part of the competition on South Africa this Summer.
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement. "I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support, as did Franco Baldini.
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow." added the Italian.
The World Cup is due to start June 11th, a date that Beckham will almost certainly not be fit in time for. He is scheduled to arrive in Finland at 1200GMT on Monday to undergo surgery in Helsinki clinic with knee specialist Dr Sakari Orava.
Dr Orava has given a less than promising outlook for the super-star midfielder's prospects of competing in the tournament;
"To start kicking and playing football will take about three months," stated Dr Orava. "For maximal performances and maximum kicks and jumps, maybe it takes one month more, three to four months before one is able to do light playing.
“After the first month, there can gradually be more and more motion and muscle contractions and very gradually shifting from light training to harder training in the second month.
“After that, one is usually able to walk and maybe start running lightly after two months if everything goes fine. All this depends on the type of tear."
England will take on USA in their first World Cup match, bet365 offer 4/7 odds of an England victory.
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