David Beckham's dream of playing in a fourth World Cup looks over after he tore an Achilles tendon in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday.

Midfielder Beckham was unchallenged when he suffered the injury and hobbled off in pain before being carried away.

The 34-year-old will fly to Finland on Monday for specialist surgery.

Beckham hoped to be part of England's World Cup squad, but coach Fabio Capello admitted his hopes of making the finals in June appear over.

"We have to wait for the results of the scan, but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement. "I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support, as did Franco Baldini.

"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."

Beckham, who is in his second loan stint with Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, will almost certainly not be fit for the tournament in South Africa, which starts on 11 June.

He is scheduled to arrive in Finland at 1200 GMT on Monday to undergo surgery at the Helsinki clinic of knee specialist Dr Sakari Orava.

Dr Orava gave a bleak outlook of Beckham's hopes of recovering in time for the World Cup, explaining that it will be the middle of June before he can resume training, and at least another month before he can return to action.

"To start kicking and playing football will take about three months," stated Dr Orava. "For maximal performances and maximum kicks and jumps, maybe it takes one month more, three to four months before one is able to do light playing.

"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.

"Today we allow patients to do motion earlier than before. In this case we try to get motion back as soon as possible. The operation takes less than one hour.

"After the first month, there can gradually be more and more motion and muscle contractions, and very gradually shifting from light training to harder training in the second month.

"After that, one is usually able to walk and maybe start running lightly after two months if everything goes fine. All this depends on the type of tear."

Consultant sports physician Dr Tom Crisp felt the injury means Beckham's World Cup are definitely over, and he told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's remotely possible he may be running in three months. The chances of him being fit to play for England are non-existent."

And AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said the Englishman will be out for "probably five or six months".

"I saw him and he was suffering. In the dressing room, I took him in my arms and told him that if he wanted, he will be with us next year," said Galliani.

AC Milan coach Leonardo said: "Beckham's injury makes us feel terrible. He understood immediately that he had torn his Achilles tendon.

"He is an extraordinary guy and today's game proves it yet again. I cannot enjoy this evening considering this serious injury."

AC Milan team-mate Ignazio Abate said the England star was inconsolable.

"He's not doing well. He was in tears in the dressing room, he wasn't saying a lot. This has affected us all," said Abate.

Former Manchester United star Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, was bidding to become the first England player to feature in four successive World Cup finals. He shares the record of three with Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton.

England coach Fabio Capello spoke with Beckham on Sunday evening to offer his commiserations, according to the Press Association

And with Tottenham's Aaron Lennon still suffering from a groin problem, Capello may now turn to both Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips to cover the right side of midfield, with James Milner, Joe Cole, Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson also in the reckoning.

Former England defender Martin Keown told BBC Radio 5 live: "Capello's not stupid, he knew there was a role for Beckham within the squad and this is a massive blow.

"He's going to be out for six months, he needs to now look at rescuing his career and what's left of it.

"He'll be extremely upset, without doubt. I think tonight is a very sad day for the Beckham family."

Beckham's loan spells at AC Milan were a deliberate attempt to convince Capello of his worth in an England squad, but he was an unused substitute in the recent friendly win over Egypt and was quoted in several Sunday papers as saying he feared for his place.

"Am I banking on going to the World Cup? No, not at all," he is reported to have said.

"I am not guaranteed to go to South Africa. I have to work hard and hopefully win my place.

"There are a good few months left and plenty of games to play, but hopefully I can carry on playing well and get in the squad."

Sunday's injury is the latest in a string of heartbreaking World Cup moments for Beckham.

His sending off against Argentina in the quarter-finals was widely blamed for costing England their chance in France in 1998.

Four years later he was not fully fit after suffering a broken metatarsal in his foot in the build-up as England went out to 10-man Brazil in the quarter-finals in Japan and South Korea.

In 2006, Beckham went off injured just after half-time in the quarter-final against Portugal which England went on to lose on penalties.

Beckham tearfully announced he was resigning the captaincy afterwards.

From: BBC