From Times Online
March 15, 2010

It will take David Beckham minimum of four months to recover, says surgeon

Frank Praverman and Nick Szczepanik

David Beckham's surgeon this morning confirmed that it will take a minimum of four months for the player to fully recover from his ruptured Achilles tendon.

Experts ruled Beckham out of June and July's World Cup finals last night when the extent of the midfielder's injury became clear.

Beckham pulled up while chasing a loose ball during AC Milan's 1-0 victory over Chievo in San Siro. He limped to the touchline, was carried from the pitch and left San Siro on crutches.

The former England captain will fly to Finland this morning for surgery. "To start kicking and playing football [will be] about three months," Dr Sakari Orava, the surgeon due to operate later, said.

"For [maximum] performances and maximum kicks and jumps, maybe it takes one month more, 3-4 months before one is able to do light playing."

Fabio Capello, the England manager, telephoned Beckham last night to offer his best wishes for a full recovery, but he must now write the 34-year-old out of his plans.

Beckham is England’s most-capped outfield player with 115 caps. He rejoined Milan in January for his second spell on loan at the club from the Los Angeles Galaxy, during their offseason from Major League Soccer, to safeguard his place in the England squad place.

However, he has not been an automatic first choice for Milan and began the Champions League round-of-16, second-leg match away to Manchester United, his former club, last week on the substitutes’ bench. Now, bearing in mind that he will be 35 in May, he has almost certainly played his last game for England.

Beckham was unchallenged when he pulled up in the 88th minute of last night’s 1-0 victory. He grasped his left ankle before making a “broken” gesture with his hands. He limped off the field in tears, repeating: “It’s broken, it’s broken,” according to reporters.

“David’s injury makes us sick,” Leonardo, the Milan coach, said. “When I think of his personal history, everything I know about him, how hard he works, I feel so bad for him.

“Tonight was a very important win for us, but David’s news definitely puts a downer on the evening. David knew he was injured immediately.”