Becks back in Fabio Capello’s good books

Is the new England football coach an old softie after all? Fabio Capello has chosen David Beckham to appear in the squad facing France in Paris next week, which means the former team captain will win his 100th England cap.

When Capello left Beckham out of his last squad against Switzerland, he claimed the player was not fit enough and made it clear that sentiment alone would never be enough to win a player a team place under his regime. England fans assumed Beckham, stuck on 99 caps, had lost his chance of joining the elite 100 club, whose members include Sir Bobby Charlton, the late Bobby Moore and goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

Now Capello has been persuaded that Beckham is fit again and hasn't let Hollywood life slow him down. Having sent his right-hand man, Franco Baldini, to the States to watch Beckham play for the LA Galaxy in a pre-season exhibition game in Dallas, the Italian has been persuaded to let Beckham join the party.

Martin Samuel, chief football correspondent at the Times, believes Capello's decision is strictly logical. No other player has yet made a serious bid for Beckham's place on the right wing and, by bringing him back now, Capello is sending a message to younger contenders that they have to fight for the right to replace him. "Forget the issue of his 100th cap," writes Samuel. "If this were significant, why not haul Gary Lineker out of retirement so he could have a crack at breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's goal-scoring record?" ·