A FORMER footballer from Burnley is suing a fellow professional over a tackle he said ended his career.

Chris Casper, who starred in the same Manchester United youth team as David Beckham and Paul Scholes, suffered multiple leg injuries while playing for Reading against Cardiff on Boxing Day, 1999.

Chris, son of former Clarets manager and striker Frank, suffered a broken fibula, tibia and cruciate and ankle ligament damage.

The 27-year-old defender has undergone a series of operations and doctors have inserted five metal screws into his left leg.

The former St Theodores pupil is now bringing a private action against former Cardiff midfield player Richard Carpenter for loss of earnings.

Carpenter now plays for Brighton and Hove Albion in the Nationwide First Division.

Chris said: "The tackle ended my career. As a footballer you never give up hope, but when it happened I knew straight away the difficulties I would face.

"There was a lot of force in the tackle and I feared the worst."

Chris, who now lives on the outskirts of Bristol and is eligible for a pension from the Professional Footballers' Association, was part of a famous Manchester United youth team of the early 1990s. He played for the Red Devils' alongside Beckham, Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville, but was never able to break through to join the first team regulars.

He transferred to Reading in 1998 for £300,000 and became a fans' favourite, playing at centre half, sweeper and full back.

He added: "I made a promising start, but I've not played since. I'm still taking each day at a time."

Chris and his wife, Karen, have a 15-month-old daughter, Grace. "It's not the start I would have wanted to married life, but Karen has been very supportive."

Chris was also given advice by his father, whose career was brought to a premature end after a similar tackle.

"He spoke to me about it and about all the hard work I had to go through to get back, but I just wasn't able to.

"The fibula never repaired and I have had bone grafts. The screws are coming out in the next couple of months, and I've started to take my coaching exams."

Brighton and Hove Albion said they would not be commenting on the case.

A spokesman for the club added: "Richard wasn't a Brighton player at the time. I am sure that he will make a comment about the action in due course."

A spokesman for the PFA, the players' union, said it would have no involvement in the case because both as players are members of their organisation.

The spokesman added: "The football pitch is not an oasis and if a player's behaviour goes beyond what is deemed reasonable they leave themselves open to challenge.

"We don't get involved in these cases because it is player versus player. We give them the opportunity to take advice from our lawyers, but then leave them to it."

Although court actions between players are uncommon, Chris Casper's case is not unique. The former Chelsea star Paul Elliot tried, unsuccessfully, to sue Dean Saunders in 1994.

The case followed a two-footed tackle executed by Saunders during a Liverpool and Chelsea match in September, 1992.

However, subsequent litigants have had more success in the courts. In 1997 Stockport County's Brian McCord was awarded £250,000 in damages after his career was wrecked by a high tackle from Swansea's John Cornforth. In 1998, Bradford City's Gordon Watson was awarded compensation after Huddersfield's Kevin Gray broke both his legs.

Manchester City's Alf Haaland contemplated suing Manchester United captain Roy Keane for a tackle that was outlined in the Irishman's autobiography.