Professor Orava said, "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."

Asked about David Beckham's future chances at the game, the surgeon said, "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."