Football: Beckham's quiet depth of character

England: United's playmaker still getting over sadness of being left out as four of his team-mates nurse injuries

EVEN BEING confronted by a journalist in a sarong did not faze David Beckham yesterday, but then he's had rather more important things on his mind recently than imitators of his fashion sense.

Beckham is still coming to terms with the impact - and implications - of his omission from the England team that opened the World Cup on Monday. Having been the only player to start in all eight World Cup qualifying matches, it has dawned on him that he may not play at all in the finals.

"It's crossed my mind that when I played in those games Darren Anderton was not available. Darren is a good player and he did well on Monday. There could be another six games, but if the team keep winning I might not get in."

Beckham, like the other omitted players, was told before training in a team meeting on Saturday. "It was hard," he said. "I tried to hide my disappointment, but it hurt. My stomach turned over and over. It was very difficult to get involved in the training session afterwards.

"I'm still getting over it, but it's not the end of the world. I've been dropped before by Manchester United and they are one of the biggest teams in the world.

"I've spoken to my mum and dad but it's down to me - I could have gone round with my head down and sulked like a few people suggested I would, but I haven't. I'm a determined person anyway, but I've been trying extra hard in training."

There were consoling words for Beckham from John Gorman, England's assistant coach, who said: "There is no way he will not be involved. He has too much talent not to be.

"He was very disappointed, but Glenn and I have both spoken to him, he has taken his disappointment on the chin and has got on with it. His attitude has been first class, he's shown an extra edge in training. He wants to play, but he understands the situation."

Talking to Beckham yesterday, it was not entirely clear that he did understand. Having been a regular, he was now a reserve. He had spoken to Hoddle, asked certain questions and been given answers including a promise that he would get his chance. But he was still unsure what he had done wrong.

"I've had a few days to think about it and I'm not sure what went wrong. When I spoke to the manager I was still a bit gutted and he didn't really give me a reason."

It was not because of his failure to score at international level. Nor, he was sure, was it because he spent Friday with his girlfriend, Victoria, or because he was photographed wearing a skirt - actually a sarong; or because Hoddle perceived him, as one journalist suggested, as "someone who needed knocking down".

"Most of the stuff surrounding me is caused by people taking pictures of me and wanting to. Just because I have a famous girlfriend doesn't mean my head is up in the clouds and no one can speak to me."

Indeed, Beckham is high-profile, but Hoddle would surely prefer him to be photo- graphed having dinner with his fiancee than drinking with celebrity mates, eating kebabs at 2am or nightclubbing till dawn. Like all of Alex Ferguson's young players, Beckham is careful not to let his social life interfere with his football.

His main concern now is overcoming the boredom inherent in a football squad away - and far worse when you are not playing - and keeping match- fit so if he is recalled, against Romania on Monday or later, he can perform. But he is likely to be back at some stage.

Although Anderton appears favourite for the right wing-back position, many pundits expect England to adopt a more adventurous line-up sooner or later, with David Batty making way for Beckham and either Beckham or Anderton playing inside.

He has been told that Sir Geoff Hurst did not make the team until the quarter-finals, but admitted that was more of a surprise than a consolation. He added, though: "The manager has said that most teams finish the tournament with a different team to the one that started."

But he would have loved to have started in Marseilles. "It was as hard being on the bench, watching them all sing the national anthem, as when I was first told," he said. "But I still wanted us to win and play well. It's not in me to want the team to play badly. I want us to go all the way."

And that was it except, unusually, he sought out another journalist and said, with quiet emphasis: "You don't know me as a person, so don't start judging me like you have been doing." It underlined that there is more depth to Beckham's personality than his public image suggests. He awaits the chance to prove the same about his football.