England coach Fabio Capello has urged David Beckham to consider a career in coaching, while offering the former captain the faint prospect of being recalled to the national team.
The Los Angeles midfielder, who has played for Real Madrid, AC Milan and Manchester United, has ruled out moving into coaching when his career ends.
But Capello has seen what the 35-year-old Beckham can offer when his playing career is over after taking him to the World Cup as part of his backroom staff.
''He has big experience,'' Capello said. ''He knows different styles from Spain, Italy and USA. He knows a lot of different things. I think he can be a manager. The manager is a difficult job, but he is intelligent. I think he can do it.''
Beckham has appeared 115 times for his country - the record for an English outfield player - and Capello faced criticism in the British media earlier this month for announcing on television that he was too old to be considered for England duty again.
Keen to quell any rift with Beckham, Capello broke his usual practice by later calling him to explain the decision.
''I spoke with David because he was a part of the staff in the World Cup,'' Capello said during a media briefing at Wembley Stadium. ''Usually I don't speak on the phone with the players. In my career I never did this, but in this case I spoke.''
The midfielder rejected the offer of a farewell match, but now Capello claims - albeit with little conviction in his voice - that Beckham could still potentially play again for England.
But in response to the questions about a recall, Capello repeatedly emphasized that nurturing fresh talent is the priority after a woeful World Cup campaign that saw the team go out in the second round.
''First he has to play a game,'' Capello said of Beckham, who is recovering from an Achilles' tendon injury. ''We are monitoring all the players ... the door is open always for all the players but now I think about the young players. They need to play more games and get more experience.
''For me some players will be difficult to choose another time because of their age. I have to prepare for the Euros.''
