Beckham fears six-week injury lay-off

David Beckham fears he could be sidelined for up to six weeks with a knee injury picked up playing for Los Angeles Galaxy leaving England coach Steve McClaren with another headache ahead of crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The England midfielder suffered what he has described as a “ligament strain” in his right knee during his team’s SuperLiga trophy final defeat against Pachuca in Carson and is set to undergo a scan tomorrow morning which will reveal the full extent of the damage.

Beckham sustained the injury in a first-half challenge with Pachuca’s Fernando Salazar and limped off.

Beckham looks set to miss England’s vital qualifiers with Israel and Russia at Wembley on September 8 and 12 unless the scan brings good news.

Beckham said: “At the moment, we‘re calling it a ligament strain, but in the morning I’m going for a scan to see exactly what it is and how long I’m going to be out.

“But at the moment, it doesn’t feel great. This is a injury that takes four to six weeks, but who knows, if the scan is not so bad maybe I‘ve got a chance to play (for England). We’ll know more tomorrow.”