England caretaker-manager Peter Taylor has named Manchester United star David Beckham as captain of the team for Wednesday's meeting with Italy in Turin but he has still to decide which position to play him in. Beckham was delighted to have been given the honour of leading his country for the friendly match saying it is "one of the proudest moments" of his career but he does not yet know whether he will be playing in central midfield or in his more accustomed position wide on the right.
Taylor has said he will be consulting his captain to discuss the matter at the weekend although assistant manager Steve McClaren is sure to have his own thoughts having worked so closely with David at Old Trafford over the last two years.
Speaking about his decision to award the captaincy to Beckham, Peter Taylor said:
"David has good experience, is playing well and deserves it.
"I spoke to Steve McClaren about it and he thought David was a good choice.
"I told David and he is delighted. I think he will respond in the correct fashion."
Taylor admitted he had been impressed with Beckham's conduct after his controversial dismissal against Argentina in World Cup '98, revealing that he had no concerns about the player's temperament. He continued:
"He took a lot of stick after being sent off but handled it very well. It looks to me he badly wants to play for Manchester United and England. He loves his football."
Beckham realises that his captaincy may be short-lived with Peter Taylor only in charge for one game but he was flattered and excited at the prospect nevertheless.
"It's always been a big ambition of mine," he enthused.
"As a kid I used to dream about leading my country and now it is going to happen. It's fantastic news."
Every member of Taylor's squad is under thirty, leaving no place for some of England's established stars. The Leicester manager explained the reasons behind his selection, which he feels will help Sven Goran Eriksson to assess the credentials of some of England's rising stars.
"Sven might see one or two players he would not have known much about at all and hopefully they are successful," Taylor said.
"Of course you want to win the game but I still felt this was the best way to go. It's a friendly so why not experiment?" he added.
Before taking his England team to Turin though, Taylor must turn his attention to Leicester's Premiership game against Newcastle on Saturday as the Foxes look to maintain their place just behind the league leaders.
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