Manchester United defender Wes Brown was today facing an anxious wait for the results of a scan on his injured knee.
Reports suggest the 22-year-old centre-half has suffered serious ligament damage in his left knee and could be ruled out for the rest of the season.
If his absence is confirmed, the injury will deal a devastating blow to Brown's hopes of securing a place in England's World Cup squad for the finals in Korea and Japan next summer.
Brown, who missed most of the 1999-2000 season because of a similar injury to his other knee, apparently picked up his new problem in training on Monday.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson maintained the injury was only "a nick on the knee", according to The Times, and that Brown might still feature in tonight's Champions League clash with Boavista.
But any long-term injury to the young defender would serve as another hammer blow to United's fading hopes of retaining the Premiership title, with Ferguson's normally-watertight rearguard having conceded 26 goals already this campaign - the second worst record in the top flight.
PA