David Beckham facing fitness battle to win 100th cap
David Beckham admits he faces a challenge to be fit for England
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Wednesday, 27, Feb 2008 11:54
David Beckham has admitted he has "no match fitness" and faces an uphill struggle to win his landmark 100th England cap.
The former international captain, who is currently stranded on 99 appearances for his country, was omitted from Fabio Capello's first England squad last month ahead of the 2-1 friendly win over Euro 2008 co-hosts Switzerland at Wembley.
He trained with Premier League side Arsenal over Christmas and new year to maintain his physical fitness and has recently begun pre-season training with his MLS club side LA Galaxy.
However, he has admitted his lack of competitive match practice is likely to hinder his selection for England when it comes to picking a squad for the friendly with France on March 26th.
"I would love to reach the 100 caps, but I have to be physically ready to be part of the team," said Beckham.
"All I've done is training. I have no match fitness."
Beckham played under Capello at Real Madrid before agreeing a move to the United States last year and described him as "a great manager and a good person".
However, he said he does not expect any favours from the Italian and knows he will only be selected on merit.
"He is a manager that I understand well and he is a manager that will pick players if he believes they are fit enough," he added.
"We're two weeks into our pre-season [with LA Galaxy] and, fitness-wise, we're getting there slowly."