MICK TAKE ... McClaren as Mickey MouseSTEVE McCLAREN was last night caught in another managerial shambles over David Beckham. The England boss ignored Saturday’s Arsenal v Manchester United clash and instead flew 6,000 miles to LA, where Beckham was playing a team of Hollywood actors. But we can reveal McClaren did not even attend that game — even though Becks played for 83 minutes. Beckham revealed: “Steve McClaren was not here but I saw him on Saturday.” The Mickey Mouse three-day trip to check on ex-skipper Becks’ fitness was paid for by the FA with the backing of chief Brian Barwick. McClaren flew to LA on Friday, watched Beckham train on Saturday and spent three days on America’s West Coast before returning to England last night.
His Three Lions are facing the embarrassment of failing to reach the Euro 2008 finals.
Now McClaren must decide whether to recall Becks for the friendly against Austria on Friday week and the decisive qualifier against Croatia five days later. Beckham, 32, added: “I can’t put myself up for England selection if I am not 100 per cent fit, or at least 90 or 95 per cent and I wouldn’t do that. But after the Hollywood United game I felt great.”
The £500,000-a-week star’s return was his first match for LA Galaxy in two months following a knee injury. And although he scored twice in a 12-4 win, the opposition side included Def Leppard guitarist Viv Campbell and 48-year-old keeper Anthony LaPaglia, who has a plastic hip!
Beckham, who has not played for England since the 2-1 Wembley defeat by Germany in August, also saw Galaxy boss Frank Yallop quit yesterday. The ex-Ipswich ace is returning to San Jose and Becks said: “We’re disappointed. We felt he was the right man.”