David and Victoria Beckham left Finland for London in a private plane following the former England captain's Achilles tendon surgery, Finnish media reported yesterday.

"He is leaving today [Wednesday], but as is probably wise, he is not saying what time or where he is going," orthopaedic surgeon Sakari Orava said. "I saw him this morning and we said our good-byes."

The former England captain twisted his left ankle during the final minutes of AC Milan's 1-0 Serie A win against Chievo on Sunday and limped off the field before being stretchered away in pain and in tears.

He flew to Finland for surgery on Monday, and while Beckham himself called the operation a "success", the injury rules the 34-year-old out of the World Cup.

Beckham's wife Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls group, arrived in Turku on Tuesday to be with her husband, and the pair left by a private plane some time in the afternoon, Orava said.

Beckham's leg is expected to be in a cast for three to four weeks and in a support for around the same length of time.