16 March 2010 / REUTERS, HELSINKI
England’s David Beckham is set to miss this year’s World Cup after his surgeon gave a bleak outlook on the midfielder’s chances of recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in time to line up in South Africa.
The 34-year-old suffered the injury in AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday and was scheduled to arrive in Finland at later on Monday for surgery. “To start kicking and playing football [will take] about three months. For maximal performances and maximum kicks and jumps, maybe it takes one month more, 3-4 months before one is able to do light playing,” Dr. Sakari Orava told Reuters on Monday. “It’s a total tear of the Achilles tendon. If there is any weakness then... a graft can be taken from the calf and put over the injury site to make it stronger. This kind of procedure is planned.” The World Cup begins in less than three months on June 11.
