US forward Davies in serious condition

WASHINGTON: American forward Charlie Davies is unlikely to play in the 2010 World Cup after undergoing several hours of emergency surgery on Tuesday to repair a shattered right leg and ruptured bladder.

The 23-year-old Davies suffered multiple fractures in his face, a badly broken right leg, a broken left elbow and a lacerated bladder in a fatal car smash in the early morning hours on Tuesday.

Doctors expressed hope Davies' high level of fitness speed up his recovery but they said he would need further surgery and could be looking at up to 12 months or more of recovery and physiotherapy.