"It's a hairline fracture of the foot," Fergie confirmed yesterday. "We are putting it at two months. He will be back training in that time. That's a rough time-scale and we will need to determine the level of fitness he will need.
"It's a bad blow for England, no doubt about that. I'm disappointed for Steve. I could sense his disappointment when I spoke to him. But they should be able to cope without him in the games next month. And by the time we get to the October matches, I would expect him to be back for them."