Nicky Butt looks likely to miss the entire Euro 2004 tournament after a scan he had sustained medial ligament damage in training on Monday.
The Manchester United midfielder was in line to start England’s match against Switzerland on Thursday, is expected to be out for between three and four weeks, effectively ending his involvement in the competition.
An FA spokesman said: “This sort of injury normally sidelines you for three or four weeks so it’s unlikely he will play again in the tournament.
“But we’ll make a formal decision about whether he stays with the squad at some point later on Tuesday.”
The spokesman added: “He wants to stay with the squad as long as possible.”
The FA has contacted Uefa to ask about the possibility of calling up a replacement.
However, the only provision for calling up a late replacement is if UFEA accept that the circumstances were exceptional and it is unlikely an injury acquired in training would fall into that category.