Manchester United defender Wes Brown is facing World Cup heartbreak.

The Daily Mail says Brown fears his World Cup dream is over after breaking a bone in his left foot and leaving England and Manchester United lurching into a defensive crisis.

The defender went for scans yesterday amid concerns he has broken the fifth metatarsal and expects to find out on Monday whether he will be out for as long as three months.

That would leave Brown with little or no game time prior to the World Cup and may even open the door for team-mate Gary Neville to make a remarkable return to the England squad.