Do you think his ego could handle that?

As a season ticket holder fro Manchester City (beaten by Chesterfield, hangs head in shame) I would have David Beckham. Whether you like the guy or not he was a fantastic footballer and an excellent captain for England. I still think it's too early for him to hang up his boots.

I don't see him playing in the US as I think he would like to see out his career in the premiership.

Beckham never was a brilliant footballer. He was good, sometimes (against Greece for example) he was very good.

The only reason he is still at Madrid and Madrid are happy to make him their top earner is purely down to business. The man is a cash cow. He could endorse a pile cream and people would buy it.

Any club in the world would take him for that reason and that reason alone







Now if you want to talk about talented footballers you need look no further than the number 14 at Ashburton Grove

Do you think he would be a starter on a top 6 team in the premiership today?

A young Beckham at Man utd was a brilliant player, now he is a Good player. And in answer to Zorros question, yes a move to American football would be a good move for him at the end of his career

A young Beckham at Man utd was a brilliant player, now he is a Good player. And in answer to Zorros question, yes a move to American football would be a good move for him at the end of his career

Beckham still deserves a place

By Gary Lineker

(Filed: 01/10/2006)

Everybody will be saying that with his exclusion from the latest squad this is the end of David Beckham for England but I don't think we can write him off just yet. He remains a really classy player and, if results start to go badly and Beckham is playing well for Real Madrid, those same people who want to get rid of him will be clamouring for his return.

As we all know, football is a fickle game and if Steve McClaren's team don't get the results they need because they are struggling with crosses and set-pieces, I wouldn't be surprised to see Beckham making a return. He is about to get a new contract with Real, is hungry to play at the elite level and he is very strong mentally.

We have a habit in this country of finding ways of getting rid of people only to develop a sudden nostalgia for their talent when things aren't going smoothly. Take Alan Shearer. It was said that his presence was limiting the England team and that he did not have the pace to continue playing for the national side. Then we had the constant calls for his return, with Sven-Goran Eriksson even reportedly trying to press him back into service for the last World Cup.

There is an important difference with the Beckham case which is that he has kept the door open. Whereas Shearer took the decision to quit, Beckham has made no secret of his desire to keep representing his country. The fact that he was left out on Friday will come as a real blow and, while it makes any comeback that much more unlikely, it should not mean the end.

What Beckham is up against is McClaren's decision to make a point by not including him, to show he is capable of making big tough decisions. Beckham has been a bit unlucky with that because on ability he still deserves his place. I'm sure he's the first to acknowledge that he is no longer at the very peak of his career and you can make an argument for saying that you don't want players in the squad whose talents are on the wane.

Certainly he won't be getting involved before the New Year.

After these two games, there is only one friendly -— against the Dutch on Nov 15 – before Christmas. There is no way he will bring him back if the team are winning (especially just for a friendly) and, with this group, it looks like England will continue to cruise. However, if there are any upsets you can be sure that there will be a backlash.

This is certainly far from being a terrifying group and if England see off Macedonia and Croatia, they will have 12 points and will be almost home. There will be no excuses with Macedonia — we beat them away and should make lighter work of them at home.

What England need to do is play at a really high tempo, get it up to the levels of the Premiership. It goes against conventional wisdom that you can play that type of game in international football but the way the national side have been playing over the past four years has not been working. If we play to our strengths we should outclass most sides in this group and present a real challenge in Austria and Switzerland in the summer of 2008.

I know Terry Venables will want the team to play in the opposition's half and I think, if we really follow through with this approach, we can start dictating to opponents. McClaren's two dilemmas for the coming fixtures are up front and in central midfield.

For me, the striker situation is fairly straightforward. Wayne Rooney must come straight back into the side after suspension. He may be off-form but he is our best player and you do not leave a player like him out. He is not quite fit after the injury at the end of last season and the suspension at the beginning of this one, but he is working hard and I'm sure he'll be back to his best very soon.

Rooney will be partnered by Peter Crouch, who is in fine form. His two goals for Liverpool in the Champions League last week showed how much confidence he has at the moment.

I still think he will struggle to sustain his run with England in the long term and could struggle against real top-class opposition.

Crouch is certainly capable of finding the net against weaker opposition -— he's certainly proved that — but his lack of strength and mobility could find him out when the best in the world come to call.

With Jermain Defoe out of sorts, McClaren will be looking to Andy Johnson to be the man to put pressure on Crouch. He is a very different type of player -— smaller, quicker and eager to take people on. His explosive start at Everton continued yesterday against Manchester City and he is in great form. Strikers are either 'on' form or 'off' — Rooney and Defoe are off, Crouch and Johnson are on. So don't be surprised if AJ makes a big impact off the bench in the coming internationals.

In midfield, Owen Hargreaves is out with a broken leg so there is a slot up for grabs. Scott Parker has been called into the squad and, like Johnson, he has made a really convincing start to the season.

However, regular readers of this column will not be surprised to hear that I would like to see Michael Carrick given the nod. As a striker, I always liked to have midfielders behind me who can pick a pass and find space for you. Parker and Hargreaves are good professional players who run all day and give everything but lack that creative impulse.

I don't think running around making tackles is what you need in international football; you give too many fouls away doing that. What you need is to make interceptions. Carrick is not a great tackler but he takes up good positions and, when he gets the ball, he retains it. Hopefully he will get his chance because, while he has not started the season with Manchester United in good form, he is the best option for long-term success.

garylineker@telegraph.co.uk

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...01/sfnlin01.xml