Tearful David Beckham sees World Cup dream dashed by Milan injury

David Beckham's hopes of extending his England career into a fourth World Cup finals are in tatters after the veteran midfielder ruptured an achilles tendon in Milan's 1-0 Serie A victory over Chievo last night, an injury that will rule him out for the season and could curtail his illustrious 18-year career.

The 34-year-old pulled up in the centre circle under no pressure from an opposing player with two minutes of the match remaining in San Siro and, after hopping from the pitch in obvious pain on his healthy right leg, collapsed on the sidelines. He was treated for about five minutes on the touchline before eventually being carried from the arena face down on a stretcher in tears, mouthing, "It's broken, it's broken" to those on the home bench while members of the Rossoneri's backroom staff attempted to comfort him.

Milan later confirmed that Beckham had snapped the tendon in his left leg, with early indications suggesting his rehabilitation could stretch to five or six months. He is due to fly to Finland today where the established specialist in this field, Dr Sakari Orava, is to undertake what is expected to be a two-hour operation to repair the tendon with the reality that the midfielder now faces a fight to prolong his career not lost on the player, Milan or his parent club, Los Angeles Galaxy. The American club will await news from Milan's medical staff before commenting.

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A leading doctor, the consultant sports physician Dr Tom Crisp, described the prospects of Beckham featuring in England's first Group C game with the United States in Rustenburg on June 12 as "non-existent". He said: "It's remotely possible he may be running in three months, the chances of him being fit to play for England are non-existent."

The England coach, Fabio Capello, and his general manager, Franco Baldini, who are currently in Zurich at Uefa's fixtures meeting for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign, spoke to Beckham last night to offer their support and commiserations with the national management team understood to have accepted there is little chance of the player, capped 115 times by his country, taking part in South Africa. "He's in a lot of pain," said his Milan team-mate, Clarence Seedorf. "This is a really bad injury."

"We will wait for tests but it looks very serious," said the Milan manager, Leonardo, after the victory over Chievo. "The injury makes us feel terrible. He is an extraordinary guy and his performance in this game proved that yet again. I cannot enjoy this evening considering what has happened to David. But when the tendon goes you feel it straight away and he understood immediately that he had torn it and what that meant."

Beckham – the only man to score for England in three World Cup tournaments – departed the stadium in San Siro on crutches with the reality dawning that, after a spectacular international career that began back in 1996, the likelihood is that he has now played his last game for his country. His last cap came as a substitute in the 3-0 qualifying victory over Belarus at Wembley, although he has been a regular on the bench for Capello throughout the Italian's spell as head coach.

Indeed the national manager had suggested in the wake of the friendly victory over Egypt earlier this month that the former captain still had a role to play in his squad at the finals despite the emergence of Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott andShaun Wright-Phillips on the right of midfield, with the Italian suggesting that Beckham could "play in the middle" if required. Given Beckham's age and the seriousness of the injury, however, it remains to be seen whether Beckham is able to prolong his career even in Major League Soccer.

His absence in South Africa represents another blow for Capello, whose squad is already showing the strains of an exhausting campaign. Ashley Cole, England's first-choice left-back, returned from the south of France last Friday where he had been undergoing treatment on the ankle fractured during Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at Everton last month. The Premier League club are optimistic over his progress and expect him to return to the first team before the end of the season, with Tottenham Hotspur similarly hopefulLennon – who has not played since December and is not yet close to a return – will have recovered from a groin problem in good time to prove his form and fitness before the World Cup.

Yet Capello will be concerned over possible rustiness of those key players and, now robbed of Beckham's calming influence and vast experience, will be anxious the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Glen Johnson – who have been suffering from back and knee injuries respectively – do not suffer relapses over the final three months of the campaign.

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