Beckham denied redemption?

It was Beckham who secured England's World Cup spot

BBC Sport Online's football editor Howard Nurse sees David Beckham's World Cup dreams left hanging by a thread.

Pedro Duscher's reckless tackle on David Beckham could have far-reaching consequences for England in Japan this summer.

The England captain is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a broken bone in his foot after being stretchered off during Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Beckham - crocked by Diego Tristan in the first leg - was taken to hospital for X-rays and will not play club football again until next August.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was in the stands at Old Trafford.

Those fans who cruelly castigated a young upstart in 1998 will now be lamenting the loss of the most influential member of the team

And his cool, analytical mind will have been making tactical adjustments by the second as he viewed the pitiful sight of a tearful Beckham leaving the field.

The prospect of United being without Beckham for the remainder of what is sure to be an eventful season is one thing.

But for the footballing public at large, the prospect of England travelling to the World Cup without the player who ultimately secured their place in the finals is devastating.

When Glenn Hoddle's side returned from France 98, few would have believed Beckham - the man held responsible for the team's exit from the tournament - would be the team's most prized asset four years later.

This truth tells much about the footballer, and the man, Beckham has become since his petulant kick at Argentina's Diego Simeone left him the most vilified man in the country.

Beckham was sent off against Argentina in France 98

Those fans who cruelly castigated a young upstart will now be lamenting the loss of the most influential member of the team.

Whether or not David Beckham is able to cope with such a cruel twist in the permanently-dramatic script of his career is in question.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson pragmatically pointed out that Beckham has time on his side. "He will play in a World Cup again," he said.

This somewhat glosses over the contribution Beckham made in his first World Cup.

For Beckham, surely the one thought which has kept him going during the past four years, is the chance to make up for his mistake.

To have the opportunity of not only consigning the memory of those bitter sweet days to history, but replacing them for good with a better day, a more successful outcome, must have been overwhelming.

If Beckham is not given the chance this time round to make a positive mark in England's footballing history, it will surely test the man more than any past event possibly could.