Former England captain David Beckham says he will always be available to play for his country, despite the announcement by manager Fabio Capello on Wednesday that he will not be picking the 35-year-old for any more competitive matches.
Beckham, still recovering from the Achilles injury that forced him out of the World Cup, was not fit to play for a new-look England in their friendly win over Hungary at Wembley on Wednesday night.
But the former Manchester United midfielder, whose 115 caps is a record for an England outfield player, was left as surprised as anyone by Capello’s comments, prompting an immediate statement through his agent.
“For your info, there has been no discussion of retirement,” the statement said. “He will always be available for his country, when fit and if needed he will be there.” Capello admitted that he had not contacted Beckham to tell him his thoughts.
“Did I phone him before I went on television? No. I think I will speak with him,” the Italian said. “But I think David knows he has no future with the international team because we have to change. We tried to speak with him.” However, Capello said he still hoped that Beckham would pull on the England shirt one more time, just not in a competitive match.
“I hope when David is OK he can play his last game here at Wembley in a friendly to say goodbye and thank you very much to the crowd,” Capello said.
“David is a fantastic player, he was really important, but we have to see the new players for the future because the age is important for a lot of people, not only for David.”
