David Beckham is set to head to Manchester this afternoon to allow Old Trafford medical staff assess his broken hand.
The England captain left South Africa with a heavy cast on his right arm after he sustained a fractured scaphoid during last night's 2-1 win in Durban.
He landed awkwardly under a hefty first-half challenge from Thabang Molefe and though he played on, the 28-year-old was clearly in considerable pain and was later taken to hospital after being substituted five minutes into the second-half.
X-rays confirmed the break, which usually has a recovery time of six weeks, although fears that he would not be allowed to make the 11-hour return flight to England were swiftly allayed and he was able to join his victorious team-mates on the coach to the airport.
Sir Alex Ferguson already had three England internationals receiving treatment - Nicky Butt (ankle), Gary Neville (foot) and Wes Brown (cruciate knee ligament) - and though Brown is the only one likely to miss the start of next season, the Red Devils chief will be eager to have Beckham on board for the high-profile pre-season tour to the United States.