By IANS
Los Angeles : Former England captain David Beckham will miss the Euro 2008 qualifiers in September after being diagnosed with a sprained knee.
The 32-year-old star midfielder is expected to be out for six weeks, meaning he will not return to action until mid-October.
England entertain Israel at the Wembley Stadium Sep 8 and then host Russia four days later.
Beckham, who only recently recovered from an ankle injury, hurt his knee in Los Angeles Galaxy’s Superliga final defeat to Pachuca Wednesday night. Galaxy lost the game 3-4 on penalties to the Mexicans after a 1-1 tie after regulation time.
After a scan on Thursday, Galaxy declared said in a statement that Beckham had suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
It means Beckham faces a race to be fit in time for the culmination of the Galaxy’s season in Major League Soccer. The last regular season game for the franchise is Oct 21 with little hope of them making it to the play-offs.
England manager Steve McClaren has problems picking his squad for the qualifiers as Beckham joins Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney on the sidelines while Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard is also in doubt.