GREAT Britain boss Stuart Pearce is confident David Beckham would accept a last-gasp Olympic reprieve – despite admitting the midfielder was the only player he had not told to be ready for a late call-up. Pearce is still able to hand a lifeline to Beckham if one of his three overage players drops out through injury before the opening game.
“I’ve not spoken with him. I’ve spoken with every other player and said, ‘Look, that is the requirement we look for’,” Pearce said. “David, being the ultimate professional that he is, I’d very much be surprised if he said he wouldn’t want to be on that standby list.”
Pearce claimed he had simply “not got round” yet to offering Beckham that opportunity but then suggested the 37-year-old would not be on the initial four-man list he submits on Friday in any event.
“Unless an overage player gets injured, I can’t bring another one in,” Pearce said after selecting Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards ahead of Beckham.
“More sense might be to make all four standby players underage so that we will have more of an option.”
Beckham’s revelation that he had missed out on Pearce’s 18-man squad for the London Games caused a storm last week, something the head coach has repeatedly been forced to defend.
The former England captain has been one of the faces of the Games since 2005, repeatedly declaring his desire to play for Team GB.
Pearce said: “There’s no doubt David had a burning ambition to be part of this – he said it many times before. The other 18 players had the same burning ambition, the three overage players especially – they have been absolutely desperate to be part of this.”