Neville tells Beckham not to give up on England recall
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-31 09:52 MANCHESTER - David Beckham
has been told not to give up hope of returning to the England squad by former
team mate Phil Neville.
Beckham quit as England captain in July after the World Cup and was then left
out of coach Steve McClaren's first squad for a friendly against Greece earlier
this month prompting speculation his international career was over.
The Real Madrid midfielder will not feature when England face Andorra in
their first Euro 2008 qualifier at Old Trafford on Saturday.
"At international level you just have to keep fighting because you can't move
to another international country," Neville told a news conference on Wednesday.
"Playing international football is so special that it's worth that fight.
That was how I felt and I'm sure it's how David Beckham feels as well.
"I can only speak for myself, but I would never say I was retiring from
international football just because I had been left out of a squad," added
Everton's Neville.
The England defender played with Beckham at Manchester United and forced his
way back into the national squad after missing out on the World Cup in Germany.
"The day I retire from football totally is the day that I am no longer
available to play for England.
"When I was left out for the World Cup I didn't think it was the end of my
career. I didn't feel the manager (Sven-Goran Eriksson) had made the right
decision and that was what kept me going."
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