Michael Dawson was ruled out of action for up to eight weeks after spraining knee and ankle ligaments during his full England debut.

Dawson was carried off on a stretcher during last night's European Championship qualifier against Bulgaria after his leg collapsed horribly beneath him early in the second half.

The freak incident appeared similar to that which saw Michael Owen sidelined for almost a year during the 2006 World Cup.

But scans today showed Dawson's injury was not as serious as that, although he could be sidelined until the end of October.

The 26-year-old was released from the England squad this morning and returned to Tottenham before undergoing a scan.

A statement on Spurs' official website, www.tottenhamhotspur.com, read: "Scans today have revealed that Michael Dawson has sprained his left medial knee ligament and one of his left ankle ligaments.

"The defender has been withdrawn from the England squad after suffering the injuries during last night's 4-0 European Championship qualifying win against Bulgaria at Wembley and is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks."