Michael Dawson has been ruled out of action for up to eight weeks after spraining left knee ligaments and a left ankle ligament during his full England debut.

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

A statement on Tottenham's official website read: "Scans have revealed that Michael Dawson has sprained his left medial knee ligament and one of his left ankle ligaments. He has been withdrawn from the England squad after suffering the injuries during the European Championship qualifying win against Bulgaria and is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks."

The freak incident appeared similar to that which saw Michael Owen sidelined for almost a year during the 2006 World Cup, but scans on Saturday 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 on Saturday morning and returned to Tottenham before undergoing a scan.

That timescale would see the defender miss between eight and 11 games for his club, including their opening two or three Champions League Group A matches against Werder Bremen, FC Twente and Inter Milan.

He will also sit out England's Euro 2012 qualifier in Switzerland on Tuesday and the October 12 Wembley clash against Montenegro.

After announcing Dawson had been released on Saturday, the Football Association confirmed a replacement would not be called up for Tuesday's match in Basle.

With John Terry and Rio Ferdinand both injured anyway, there were not too many options for manager Fabio Capello.

And with Matthew Upson, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill already at the squad base in Watford, Capello feels he has enough strength at his disposal to decide who will partner Phil Jagielka.