Captain marvel: Steven Gerrard roars his delight after scoring the first of his two goals which gave England victorySteven Gerrard rescued Fabio Capello from further ridicule on a night when the England manager blundered into a storm about David Beckham’s future.
Gerrard stuck twice in four minutes after Hungary had taken a controversial lead at Wembley with a goal which did not cross the line.
It seemed a cruel twist on England’s World Cup exit in South Africa but Capello’s revelations that Beckham was ‘probably too old’ to be part of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign dominated the friendly win.
The former captain’s camp knew nothing of the pre-match revelations.
‘We have to look for new players, young players,’ said Capello afterwards, reiterating comments made in a pre-match TV interview before back-tracking to invite Beckham, 35, to win his 116th cap later in the season.
‘I hope, when David is OK, he can play here in a friendly at Wembley to say bye-bye and thank you very much. I won’t pick him for any more competitive games. I change it. We need players for the future.’
Surprise announcement: CapelloThis swansong idea points at dates in October and November but if the midfielder is fit after his achilles injury, he will be playing for LA Galaxy in the MLS play-offs.
Beckham’s spokesman confirmed there had been no talks about retiring, adding: ‘He will always be available for his country, when fit and if needed he’ll be there.’
However, Capello added: ‘I think David knows he has no future with the national team because we have to change. I have to look for new players. I have to think about the future.’
Inspirational Gerrard paid tribute to Beckham’s 14-year international career. ‘He has legendary status,’ he said. ‘If he’s played his last game, he’ll be missed because, on and off the pitch, he’s a great guy.
‘But you never know with David. If he hears that news, it’ll drive him on and he’ll try to prove people wrong. He loves playing for England.’
No future: Capello called time on Beckham's international careerCapello was impressed by Michael Dawson, Bobby Zamora, Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere, who won their first caps, and praised the efforts of Adam Johnson and Ashley Young.
Wilshere spent the previous night in hospital with stomach pains. Senior players were booed and Wayne Rooney, without an England goal for 11 months, was jeered when he was replaced by James Milner, reacting with sarcastic applause.
Capello said: ‘I’m sure the fans love Rooney. He’s a really important England player but we have to wait. He’s not in a good moment and has to play more. He’s one of the most important players in the world and the fans want him to make a difference and play really well. He has had 45 minutes in one game, 45 in another and 65 minutes
tonight. It’s impossible.’
source: dailymail
