David Beckham has been left out of England manager Fabio
Capello's first squad but Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor
has been included.
Capello has told Beckham - who was hoping to win his 100th cap -
that he only wants players who are match-fit. Apart from Agbonlahor
the other new face in the 30-man provisional squad to face
Switzerland in a friendly international at Wembley on Wednesday is
Villa team-mate Curtis Davies - currently on loan from West Brom.
Davies said: 'I'm completely shocked but absolutely delighted. I
wasn't thinking about England from my perspective at all. I was
thinking about those who might get into Mr Capello's first squad,
but I didn't think I'd be one of them. I'm really happy. 'When I
got the news I thought it was a wind-up. I had to check several
times before I realised the message was genuine. I really didn't
have a clue I'd be called up. 'It makes the waiting to get in the
side during the first part of the season all worthwhile. Other
inclusions of interest are Villa winger Ashley Young, who made his
England debut against Austria in November, and Blackburn's David
Bentley, who profits from Beckham's absence, while a key omission
is goalkeeper Paul Robinson. Capello said: 'I know there has been a
lot of discussion about David Beckham. The reason that David is not
in the squad is because he has not had any real match practice
since playing in November. 'When I spoke with David on the phone
yesterday I advised him that he is still part of my plans and once
he is playing regularly in America we will look closely at him
again.' He added: 'I have selected a squad of 30 players as I think
it is important that all the players are equal from the beginning.
'There are a lot of games before we join up and I think it is
better that we are prepared for any injuries. This way we are not
expecting to call players up as late replacements when I name a
23-man squad on Saturday evening. 'Franco Baldini and I have been
watching many games since we arrived in England and we have tried
to see as many English players as possible before deciding on the
squad. There were a number of players that we already knew about
but there are many we have seen playing live for the first time.
'We will use the time between now and our first World Cup
qualifying match in September to look at the players and find the
best formula for the England team. I will also look at players who
have not been included in the squad this time. 'I have also worked
very closely with Stuart Pearce on squad selection and there are
some players like Joe Hart, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott and David
Wheater who are with the Under-21s this time because they have a
very important qualification game against Ireland on Tuesday. 'In
the future these are players that could feature in the senior
squad. I believe it is very important for everyone that the
Under-21 team does well and I want to help them achieve success
with Stuart. 'I will go to the Manchester City - Arsenal match on
Saturday, while Franco Baldini will watch Tottenham - Manchester
United before I name the final 23-man squad on Saturday.' Michael
Owen is included despite speculation his lack of form might cost
him a place, while Wigan's Emile Heskey, Liverpool's Peter Crouch
and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney complete the strikers. Capello
has named 12 defenders and apart from the usual names West Ham's
Matthew Upson, Portsmouth's Glen Johnson and Jonathan Woodgate, who
has just signed for Tottenham, are all included. There five Aston
Villa players named, the same number as Manchester United, and
three come Tottenham.
Provisional England squad for the friendly against
Switzerland on February 6: Carson (Aston Villa), James
(Portsmouth), Kirkland (Wigan); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Manchester
United), A Cole (Chelsea), C Davies (Aston Villa), Ferdinand
(Manchester United) G Johnson (Portsmouth), King (Tottenham),
Lescott (Everton), Richards (Manchester City), Shorey (Reading),
Upson (West Ham), Woodgate (Tottenham); Barry (Aston Villa),
Bentley (Blackburn), Carrick (Manchester United), J Cole (Chelsea),
Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves
(Manchester United), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea),
Young (Aston Villa); Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Crouch (Liverpool),
Heskey (Wigan), Owen (Newcastle), Rooney (Manchester United).
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=503817&cc=4716
