Beckham happy with substitutes role for England
Beckham is happy to come off the bench in future
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Sunday, 28, Sep 2008 12:15
Former captain David Beckham says he would be happy with the role of substitute as long as he remains in the England squad.
Beckham is keen to play in the next World Cup and has perhaps conceded he is unlikely to be first-choice right midfielder when the tournament in South Africa comes around in 2010.
The 33-year-old has been eclipsed in the side recently following Theo Walcott's performance against Croatia, although Beckham still came off the bench to replace the Arsenal youngster at the end of that game.
It is a role Beckham is happy with if it means he can still keep earning caps and progress to his fourth World Cup.
He said: "I want to be part of the squad, part of these qualifiers and, hopefully, part of the team to the World Cup.
"If that means me coming on as sub or just even part of the squad, then I would be happy with that. I don't care whether I play or whether I don't.
"Of course I love to play for England but the much bigger thing is England winning and England qualifying."
Beckham only has one moth left in the Major League Soccer season before they enter the off-season, which could affect his chances of getting in the side after the next qualifier against Kazakhstan on October 11th.
However, the former Manchester United star says he is happy to travel from America to be involved with the squad even if he does not play.
He continued: "Whether I play is immaterial - it's about the team, about the squad. If I can carry on getting caps, getting on the field and helping the team in any way then I'll be happy.
"I would be happy going home having not even got off the bench. I'm in the squad, in the manager's mind and I'm there to support the team. I'm an England fan."
Beckham equalled the caps record of Billy Wright with his appearance against Croatia, putting him fourth on the all-time list.
He needs just three more to join Bobby Charlton on 108 caps. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton is England's most capped player with 125.