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Beckham dropped from England squad
Associated Press
Posted: 1 hour ago

LONDON (AP) - David Beckham was dropped from the England soccer team Friday by coach Steve McClaren, who also named Terry Venables as his assistant.
Beckham stepped down as captain last month after limping off with ankle and Achilles tendon injuries during the second half of England's World Cup quarterfinal loss to Portugal. He said he still wanted to play for the national team.

McClaren didn't name him in the squad to play Greece in Wednesday's friendly - his first match in charge.

"I spoke to David last Monday and notified him of my decision and said that I was planning for the future, looking to change things, looking to the future and David wasn't included," McClaren said.

"At the present moment I am looking to take this team in a different direction," McClaren added. "It's a new beginning. It's a clean sheet of paper for everybody and that's why I decided not to pick David Beckham."

While his accuracy from dead balls is still sharp, Beckham has started to lose pace - highlighted when 19-year-old Aaron Lennon twice replaced him at the World Cup. It also marks a break from the reign of former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who developed a close relationship with Beckham in his five years in charge.