David Beckham has not given up hope of a return to the England set-up despite boss Fabio Capello suggesting the midfielder has played his last competitive game for the Three Lions (England 9/1 to win the European Championships 2012).
Beckham, who is England’s most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, has now recovered from the injury that forced him to miss the World Cup and has returned to action with club side LA Galaxy.
The 35-year-old has spent two separate loan spells with Italian giants AC Milan in the last two seasons but Beckham has distanced himself from a return to European football this season (AC Milan 15/8 to win the Serie A title).
“I don’t think so,” said the former England captain when asked if he had any plans to return to Europe on loan this season.
“I’ll never say never, but after my injury I need to really focus on getting my full fitness back.
“Physically I need to get myself back in order after a very long time out of the game. I can’t say for sure, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Capello suggested Beckham’s England career was over earlier this year as the Italian boss intends to bring through a new generation ahead of the 2012 European Championships (England 1/7 to win qualifying Group G).
However, Beckham has not given up hope of pulling on an England shirt again, although he feels the manager is right to offer the younger players the chance to impress on the international stage.
He added: “Ever since I was a little kid all I ever wanted to do was to play for my country. Whether the road is over or not, I don’t really know, but I will continue to work hard to get my fitness right because that’s the important bit at the moment.
“Once I’ve done that, we’ll know more.
“I hope England continue to push on and keep bringing young players through; this is an important thing for the future of English football at international level.”
Capello faced somewhat of a backlash from the English public over the way he handled his announcement regarding Beckham’s future in the wake of the Three Lions’ dismal World Cup campaign.
The former Real Madrid boss told a press conference Beckham was no longer in his plans before he told the former Manchester United and Real midfielder his intentions.
Capello has since backtracked, to a degree, on his comments regarding Beckham and stated that the door is always open if a player impresses, regardless of age.
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