Exeter City's Craig Woodman out despite Paul Tisdale broken arm claim

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale says Craig Woodman will be out "for a while" with a fractured arm, having previously quipped that the defender could play with such an injury.

After beating Cheltenham in December, Tisdale said Woodman "could've played with a broken arm, he was that good".

However, the 34-year-old suffered that precise injury in Exeter's draw with Yeovil last Saturday.

Asked about the irony, Tisdale joked: "Maybe I won't mention that next time."

He continued: "He's as tough as old boots Craig, so I wouldn't put it past him (playing with the injury) - I've rarely seen someone break their arm so clearly and literally not mutter a word."

When making the injury claim three months ago, the Grecians boss was comparing Woodman to German great Franz Beckenbauer, who famously wore a sling in the 1970 World Cup semi-final against Italy, having dislocated his shoulder during the match.

"He won't be playing in a sling, that won't happen - it's going to be a while yet," Tisdale told BBC Sport.

"He's going to be out for a while, we don't know how long - there'll be a time when he could wear maybe a splint.

"I'm not sure what the rules are these days - [maybe] Gary Lineker-style in the World Cup, who knows what's possible."

Lineker played at the 1986 World Cup despite a broken wrist, while former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba appeared for Ivory Coast in the 2010 competition wearing a cast to protect a broken arm.