No problem: England manager Fabio Capello insists he still has a good relationship with David BeckhamQuizzed about the way he handled the situation, Capello said: 'Please. Every time I speak I have to think 10 times before opening my mouth because you [the Press] want to find something wrong when I speak. I don't know. You're asked about Beckham and what do you say? I said what I thought, really. It's not a big problem in terms of the relationship between me and David - absolutely no problem.'
Capello is also convinced Wayne Rooney will not quit international football, despite being booed by the Wembley crowd on Wednesday night, his status clearly having hit a nadir after his dreadful World Cup performances, his abuse of England fans after the Algeria game and photographs of him smoking and urinating in public.
Fighting fit: David Beckham has no intention of retiring from international footballFabio Capello fears that the furore surrounding his announcement to retire David Beckham is turning into a witch hunt intended to undermine his position as England manager.
In the first clear signs that he is growing weary of the intense scrutiny on his management style in the wake of the calamitous World Cup campaign, Capello expressed his frustration at the overwhelmingly negative reaction to his decision to axe Beckham without first informing the England legend.
Capello dismissed suggestions that Rooney's ironic wave to fans as he was humiliatingly jeered when substituted in the Hungary friendly indicated that the striker was growing tired of the national team and would eventually retire from international football.
'Absolutely not, because he's a really good boy,' said Capello. 'I spoke with him and there is no problem. He's all right, super-right. He's a really good man and he wants to stay with us. I spoke to him before the game and he said he wanted to play for 65 minutes and I said no problem. Sir Alex Ferguson knew what we were going to do, too.
'The fans' reaction was normal. They want to see the best Rooney always, the best team, the best, best, best. But that's not possible. When you haven't the form you have to wait. Some players need to play more games until they get to their normal level.
'He will have a good season but he needs to play. I did a study once: how long does a player need to find good form? The answer is a minimum of 500-600 minutes. He has to play that, minimum. Right now, Rooney has played just 115 minutes. It's possible not to play well. But he has to forget everything. You have to move forward.'
source: dailymail
