Neville suffers broken foot injury

Manchester United have confirmed England defender Gary Neville has broken a bone in his foot.

Neville was stretchered off in the 2-2 home draw with Bayer Leverkusen just before half-time to be replaced by his brother Phil and United revealed at half-time the right back had suffered a similar injury to England captain David Beckham.

Neville will now miss the last four or five games of United's league and cup season and is a major doubt for England's World Cup finals squad.

He is the second most-capped player by England coach Sven Goran-Eriksson since he took charge last year and was an almost certain starter at the finals for the national team.

He is now facing the same race to be fit as Beckham but has two weeks less to recover.

Eriksson has already said that Beckham has a place in his squad even if only partially fit but to name two such injured players in a squad of only 23 is a real gamble.

Beckham was ruled out for six to eight weeks by the broken foot injury which struck him fourteen days ago and is trying to recover but remains in a plaster cast.

Ironically Beckham and Neville are very close friends and the defender was Beckham's best man at his wedding three years ago.

Of Eriksson's preferred starting line-up for the finals in June all but two have now been injured in recent weeks.