Beckham's determination
Saturday, 10 November, 2007
Steve McClaren has revealed that David Beckham is on a mission to prove his critics wrong.
Austria v England
International Friendly
8pm, Friday 16 November 2007
Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna
Live on Sky Sports
England v Croatia
UEFA European Championship Qualifier
8pm, Wednesday 21 Novem
ber 2007
Wembley Stadium
Live on BBC1
England Head Coach Steve McClaren has revealed that David Beckham is on a mission to prove his critics wrong.
LA Galaxy star Beckham, 32, is back in the England squad for Friday's friendly in Austria and the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier with Croatia at Wembley five days later.
Beckham is chasing 100 caps and is currently three short of his goal. And Head Coach McClaren, who checked on Beckham's fitness on a recent visit to the United States, declared: "If you know Becks well, he likes proving people wrong - and I think he still has a lot to prove.
"He always has a lot to prove and he has a lot to prove over there. I read a couple of things about him not enjoying the experience over there and I couldn't have found that further from the truth.
"He loves it; he's settled and his kids go to great schools and have a great lifestyle. He's got a quieter lifestyle to before.
"He was disappoiinted to be injured in his first season there, but also having come back into the England squad and the impact he made in the summer, he was looking forward to capitalising on that.
"He's itching to prove these injuries are behind him and that he's fit. I know David Beckham well and I knew what his reaction would be, and he showed that in the summer.
"With the way he responded and the way he was playing at the time for Real Madrid, there was no hesitation in bringing him back. You pick the the best players you can and he's in that group.
"David was always on the right and I believe there are three or four for the future - Shaun Wright-Phillips, Aaron Lennon, who's been injured, and David Bentley, who I think is going to be a very good player.
"But we're in a situation where we're coming to big games - and David is a big-game player.'' McClaren added: "I've heard a lot of criticism of him going out to LA. One thing I build my management on is my relationship with the players - it has to be close - and going to see David out there was not just a short-term thing, but a long-term thing.
"I was looking at the lifestyle and how he was training, what the future is and will he be fit enough? It gave me a day with his people to get an insight into his motivation, not just short-term, but long-term and he wants to continue.
"When I brought him back the first time, I had a meeting with him - we had one in secret - and after five or ten minutes you knew he had the motivation to play and do well for England.''