Beckham out of England frame

In what is considered a strong sign that his international career may has come to an end, Former England skipper David Beckham has been left out of the team's squad for the friendly game against Greece.

كتب : Amro Hassan

الجمعة، 11 أغسطس 2006 - 18:49
In what is considered a strong sign that his international career may has come to an end, Former England skipper David Beckham has been left out of the team's squad for the friendly game against Greece.

The game will be Steve McClaren's first as England coach, and the former Middlesbrough man opted not to be counting on the 31-year-old winger in the near future.

"At this present moment I am looking to take this team in a different direction, that is why I decided not to pick David Beckham," McClaren told Sky Sports Network on Friday.

Taking over from Sven-Goran Eriksson who led the England team for almost six years, McClaren is looking to introduce a number of new faces as well as a new way of playing to the England outfit.

"I told David that I was looking to change things and take on a new plan, and that he wasn’t included within that."

The England boss had time to praise the Real Madrid for his previous efforts with the team, refusing to rule out a possible re-call to Beckham if he regains his top form.

"I have great respect for David, He was a fantastic captain for England, a great player, and still is a great player."

"He took the news very well, and I got the reaction I wanted and that he'd continue to fight for his place and I'll never close the door on that," McClaren added.

McClaren included a number of young players like Kieran Richardson and Tottenham's Michael Dawson, also Manchester United's Wes Brown and Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Philips were named for the Greece game on August 16th in Old Trafford.

And the full England squad is:

Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Chris Kirkland (Liverpool), Ben Foster (Manchester United).

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Rio Ferdinand, Wesley Brown, Gary Neville (Manchester United), P Neville (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Luke Young (Charlton).

Midfielders: Stuart Downing (Middlesbrough), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), (Tottenham), Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Kieran Richardson (Manchester United).

Strikers: Dean Ashton (West Ham), Daren Bent (Charlton), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)