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David Beckham not in Fabio Capello's England plans for Euro 2012

 

John Curtis
Tuesday 15 November 2011 11:41 GMT
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David Beckham insists he can continue to operate at the top level
David Beckham insists he can continue to operate at the top level (GETTY IMAGES)

David Beckham's front-line involvement with England - on and off the field - could be over 15 years after making his debut.

Head coach Fabio Capello admits he has no plans at present to involve Beckham in any capacity at the Euro 2012 finals.

Beckham was ruled out of contention for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with a ruptured Achilles but did play an important part acting as a mediator between management and the players.

It was a successful exercise and kept Beckham in touch with the England set-up at a time when he was still hopeful of gaining an international recall as a player.

Capello effectively crushed Beckham's hopes of adding to his 115 caps 15 months ago after the friendly with Hungary when saying "new players were needed for the future".

The former Manchester United star has since slipped completely out of the picture on that front although he has often stated he will never formally retire from international football.

When asked if Beckham, whose Los Angeles Galaxy contract expires next month, could be part of his off the field team in Poland, Capello said: "I haven't thought about this."

Capello, when asked if there was any chance of Beckham being in his Euro 2012 squad, said: "No, I think he will only be involved in the Olympic Games.

"I don't know. I have time to decide. Is he in my plans now? No."

Beckham won the first of his caps against Moldova in 1996 and became an iconic figure who won the fans over after his sending-off against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup.

His last cap was as a substitute against Belarus in a World Cup qualifier in October 2009.

PA

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