Spain defender Asier del Horno will miss the World Cup finals because of an ankle injury he suffered in training last week.

The Chelsea left-back underwent another scan on the joint on Tuesday and it revealed that damage to the area around the Achilles tendon would prevent him from playing for around 20 days.

National team doctor Genaro Borras has now forwarded the scan results to FIFA and requested permission to bring in a replacement for Del Horno.

Spain boss Luis Aragones has not yet confirmed who he plans to call up to the squad, but Deportivo La Coruna's Joan Capdevila and Getafe's Mariano Pernia have been placed on standby.