Beckham out of England qualifiers
Friday, 31 Aug 2007 09:17
Concerns have been raised over Beckham's gruelling recent schedule
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David Beckham has been ruled out of England's Euro 2008 qualifying double-header against Israel and Russia after he was confirmed to have a sprained knee.
The 32-year-old picked up the injury playing for LA Galaxy against Mexican side Pachuca in the Superliga final on Wednesday, which Beckham's side eventually lost 4-3 on penalties.
He twisted his right knee after going into a block tackle on Pachuca's Fernando Salazar.
Beckham was substituted soon after and received treatment during and immediately following the end of the match.
The club's medical team had reserved judgment on a prognosis until further scans were completed.
But it has now been confirmed that the injury is indeed a sprain and will rule him out for four to six weeks.
"Beckham was diagnosed with a sprained right knee and is scheduled to undergo further tests to determine the extent of the injury today," the Galaxy website said.
It added: "If the injury is significant, he could miss a pair of upcoming England national team matches."
Earlier this week, Beckham said his injury "doesn't feel good".
"A ligament strain is four to six weeks and if it is that then I won't be flying to England," he added.
Beckham has also been struggling for fitness because of a niggling ankle injury which he sustained at the end of last season playing for Real Madrid.
Although he has been bothered by the problem since his move to the MLS earlier this summer, he has continued to play on for both club and country.
He played the full 90 minutes of England's friendly defeat to Germany last week, before another full game for Galaxy in their local derby against Chivas USA less than 36 hours later.