Ireland's World Cup opponents Germany were dealt a severe blow last night when Bayer Leverkusen's central defender Jens Nowotny was stretchered off with a suspected tear to his cruciate ligament.

The Leverkusen skipper, who captained Germany in the 1-0 defeat by Argentina in Stuttgart on April 17th, was carried off after a clash with Manchester United's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 10th minute of last night's match.

A club spokesman said it was suspected that Nowotny had damaged his cruciate ligament. If the injury were confirmed, the player would almost certainly have to pull out of the finals in South Korea and Japan, starting on May 31st.

Germany coach Rudi Voller has already seen influential midfielder Mehmet Scholl retire from international football through injury, while Sebastian Deisler faces a race against time to reach the World Cup, that starts next month.