the door shall not be closed..

(it's beckham in the best form ever)

DAVID BECKHAM has proved Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello wrong — but can he do the same at international level to Steve McClaren?

Having been dropped from McClaren's first England squad at the start of the season — and excluded ever since — Beckham's career appeared to hit an all-time low last month when he was told he would never play for Madrid again.

Capello had been angered by the ex-England skipper's decision to quit Spain in the summer to move to America with LA Galaxy.

But Real's form in La Liga dipped dramatically and, facing a third straight defeat, Capello handed Beckham a recall for the weekend game at Real Sociedad.

The iconic midfielder responded in the best way possible.

With his side a goal down, Beckham curled in a 37th-minute free-kick to equalise and inspire a comeback that saw Madrid run out eventual 2-1 winners.

According to the local media, it also saved Capello his job.

Now it is England boss McClaren who is feeling the heat.

Wednesday's 1-0 defeat by Spain left the Three Lions without a win in four international matches and for the first time the under-fire coach appears to be contemplating a U-turn.

Asked whether he would consider using Beckham, McClaren said that he had never "closed the door" on the possibility of us seeing him in an England shirt again.

England face two crunch Euro 2008 qualifying ties in March, away against Israel and Andorra, and two victories are needed to boost our hopes — and keep McClaren in his job.

During a run of two draws and two defeats, England's midfield have struggled to find the right balance with Frank Lampard out of form on the international stage and Shaun Wright-Phillips and Scott Parker failing to impress on their outings.

There has also been a distinct lack of success or indeed imagination from free-kicks and corners in the absence of former dead-ball specialist Becks.

Beckham believes he still has a lot to offer his country and McClaren may now be forced to agree with him.

courtesy of thesun.co.uk