BECKHAM 'SHOULD GO TO WORLD CUP'

AC Milan's Clarence Seedorf believes David Beckham deserves to be in England's squad for the 2010 World Cup.

Fellow midfielder Beckham, 34, is set to return to Seedorf's club on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in January to boost his chances of making the finals.

Seedorf told BBC Sport: "There should not be any discussion for anybody in England about taking David to what will most probably be his last World Cup.

"His will to perform and still play for the national team is very big."

Beckham did not feature in England's recent 1-0 defeat in Ukraine but made an appearance as a substitute in the 3-0 win over Belarus.

He turns 35 in May 2010 - a month before the start of the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Asked if Beckham was good enough and fit enough to play in the World Cup at that age, Seedorf said: "Of course he is.

"He showed that here with Milan and he will definitely show it again once he's back, there is no doubt about that."

England manager Fabio Capello has made it clear that Beckham needs to be playing in Europe to stand a chance of securing a place in the World Cup squad.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player, who has played in three World Cups, revealed last week that a return to AC Milan is "95% done".

Beckham's first stint at the San Siro began in the January transfer window and helped him get back into the England reckoning.

He was initially only scheduled to spend three months with the Italian outfit during the Major League Soccer off-season but extended his time until the end of the Serie A campaign.

He returned to LA Galaxy during the summer and will feature for them in the upcoming MLS play-offs before his anticipated return to Milan.

The Serie A side have made an unconvincing start to their season after the departures of manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is now at Chelsea, and playmaker Kaka, who joined Real Madrid in June.

However, Seedorf said the expected return of Beckham would aid the team.

Capello reveals Beckham ultimatum

"He was already a great help last year," stated the 33-year-old former Dutch international, who is the only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan.

"I'm very happy that he will be back again as we also became friends.

"We all know Beckham. The most important thing is that he is going to bring a lot of professionalism and personality with his game.

"His specific qualities are well known but what we need in a team of AC Milan players are those who are not afraid to play the big games and not afraid to take responsibility - and David is such a player."

Source : beckham-magazine.com