Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves accepts he is out of England's World Cup campaign.

The Daily Mail says with his Manchester United playing career in the balance, Hargreaves has spoken to the England boss Fabio Capello, who has decided there is very little, if any, chance of the player making the trip to South Africa in June.

There are growing fears that, at 29, the midfielder is losing his battle with tendinitis in his knees that has limited him to 25 starts for United in three years, costing the club nearly £1million each.

It is 18 months since he last played and, after more than a year of rehab following operations on both legs, he has reverted from training with the first team to daily workouts with the club's physios.