Don’t give up hope, Neville tells Beckham

David Beckham has been told not to give up hope of returning to the England squad by former teammate 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 tomorrow.

“At international level you just have to keep fighting because you can’t move to another international country,” Neville said 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, who played with Beckham at Manchester United and forced his way back into the national squad after missing out on the World Cup in Germany. – Reuters