David Beckham is expected to make a full recovery and play again following successful surgery on his injured Achilles tendon, with England boss Fabio Capello leaving the door open for him to play a role in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2012.
Beckham had surgery on his injury in Finland and although there is no hope of featuring in the World Cup, will be boosted by the encouragement from Capello.
"We hope he will be fit for the next year," said the England manager. "I hope he will be fit for the Euros, next qualifying.
"He's always one of the best players in England."
Professor Sakari Orava performed the surgery and was able to offer an estimated rate of recovery for the 34-year-old, who's currently playing at AC Milan.
"It was a total tear,''he said. "It's only a guess, but it's four months to running and a couple more months to kicking and jumping.
"He was quite happy after the operation. (And) I think that he understood from the beginning that it's a serious injury and he's not able to play (at the World Cup)."