THE EXPERTS are divided on whether David Beckham's fracture will keep him out of the World Cup.

But even if he can play, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson could decide to leave him out in the long-term interests of the Manchester United midfielder.

The England captain's availability for the World Cup will depend on which particular bone in his foot he has broken, according to Professor Angus Wallace.

If the fracture is of the fifth or outer metatarsal, delayed healing can be a problem, said Prof Wallace, who is head of the orthopaedic and accident surgery at the University of Nottingham.

''Metatarsal bone fractures are common, they usually heal within six weeks,'' said Prof Wallace, who is also chairman of the National Sports Medicine Institute.

''However if it is a fracture of the fifth or outer metatarsal, delayed healing can be a problem.

''If the fracture is undisplaced, the treatment is a cast for four to six weeks, and then return to training, which will take a further two to four weeks of rehab.'' The five metatarsals are the long cylindrical bones in the foot, and information yesterday suggested Beckham had broken the second one.

Until more is known predictions are merely "witchcraft" according to Andrew Weeber, a Northallerton-based orthapaedic surgeon who has operated on many top North-East players.

"Until we can see an X-ray then everybody is just guessing," he said.

The chances of recovering depended on which of the small bones in the foot was broken and the nature of the fracture.

"The outlook very much depends on the profile of the fracture, no two fractures are the same and there are rules about how each bone is treated," said Mr Weeber, who is a member of the Football Association's medical committee.

While there was pressure to get players fit in time for important matches, the whole attitude to recovering from injury had changed dramatically in recent years, he said.

"If I was David Beckham I would think of my long-term future not the short-term. The old days of making players play with injuries is long gone in English football. It is surprising how responsible the football authorities have become," said Mr Weeber, who works at the Friarage Hospital.

On the information available Mr Weeber said he thought it was "a possibility" that Beckham could play.

However, Darlington's head physiotherapist, Nigel Carnell, was gloomy about Beckham's chances.

"A fracture takes 12 weeks to heal properly, you can probably play on it after eight weeks but whether you can play two matches in 48 hours is a different matter," he said.

"I really think he will struggle to get fit in time," he said.