BECKHAM HAS SURGERY, OFFICIALLY RULED OUT OF WORLD CUP

Before performing surgery on David Beckham’s injured Achilles’ Tendon, Dr. Sakari Orava suggested that there was a remote possibility he could return in time for England’s World Cup bid.  After the 50 minute operation, he reserved his initial assessment and confirmed that there was no possibility for the former England captain to return to action so soon.   The new prognosis means that a best case scenario for Beckham is to recover in time to play in some of the LA Galaxy’s MLS games.

Dr. Orava addressed the media following the procedure:

"It was a total tear. It's only a guess, but it's four months to running and a couple more months to kicking and jumping. He was quite happy after the operation. I think that he understood from the beginning that it's a serious injury and he's not able to play at the World Cup.''

Beckham’s prognosis for a full recovery, however, is much more favorable.  Asked whether a return to competitive soccer was a possibility, Dr. Orava noted:

"It's difficult to say whether he has decided to come back at the same level as before, but usually people can do what they have done before, if everything goes well.''

A spokesman for the English National team said that Beckham was devastated by the prospect of missing the World Cup:

"He sounded destroyed, completely destroyed. He must have known he would miss the World Cup, there was little anyone could say to console him.

"He didn't realise what happened at first, he heard a big shot, as if he had been shot by someone with a gun. It is such a shame, and you can imagine how he was feeling. There was little to say to make him feel better."

There had been some speculation over whether Beckham would be named to the final squad by England manager Fabio Capello.  According to this source, he would have made the cut:

"He was always going to be in the final 23. He would have been selected to go to the World Cup. In all probability, as things can change very quickly in football, so one can say in all probability he would have been in the 23.No one is now thinking about the candidates to replace him, we have only just heard the news and that is all."

Capello has insisted that he’ll welcome Beckham into the England camp during the tournament in South Africa as something of a good luck mascot.  Beckham is also expected to serve as a figurehead for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.