Beckham was in pain after the Leverkusen match

The England captain is thought to have picked up the injury in the Premiership win over Southampton a fortnight ago.

He played in the Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday but was in pain after the match and tests revealed the rib injury.

Beckham will definitely miss United's Premiership trip to West Ham on Sunday.

He could also miss the Premiership matches against Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal, plus the Champions League match away to Basle and a Worthington Cup tie at Burnley.

The news is the latest injury blow for United, who are currently without skipper Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Nicky Butt.

Beckham, who broke a bone in his left foot in the run up to the World Cup finals, will now link up with the England squad for a get-together on Tuesday instead of Monday.