Beckham pulls out as England look to Dunn

David Beckham has been withdrawn from the England squad for the friendly match against Portugal at Old Trafford on Saturday because he has a troublesome calf injury.

The England captain was taken off towards the end of Manchester United's 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough in the Premiership last night. United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson explained after the match that Beckham had been suffering with the calf injury all week. "He has done well to play tonight, but we have had to withdraw him from the international team. He has got a little pull in his left calf muscle which obviously is a concern for us because we have Bolton next Wednesday."

Beckham was the second midfielder to pull out of the squad yesterday. England's coach, Sven Goran Eriksson, had promoted Blackburn's David Dunn from the Under-21s to the full England squad earlier in the day as a replacement for the Newcastle United winger Kieron Dyer. The Swede will decide today whether to call up another replacement for Beckham.

It was an overdue promotion for Dunn, the former Under-21 captain, who was on standby for the World Cup squad over the summer. He has impressed again at the start of the new season, scoring in Rovers' 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Ewood Park last Wednesday. So Eriksson had no hesitation in turning to the 22-year-old when Dyer was forced out.

"David is a very good player and has lots of experience at Under-21 level, captaining the team," the Swede said. "I have watched him already this season for Blackburn and he was very close to being in the original squad. It will be a good opportunity to work with David and see what he can do."

Working with Dunn has impressed the England Under-21 coach, David Platt, who said the midfielder has got undoubted ability. "I saw him train at close quarters with very good players and he stood out," Platt said. "What he has got to learn is that his ability will carry him through. Sometimes he tries to work too hard."

Dunn's manager at Ewood Park, Graeme Souness, though, believes the young midfielder has the ability to become an England regular.

"He has got tremendous natural ability. He is an extremely strong boy and he knows where he wants to be," Souness said. "He prefers to play in centre of midfield and he certainly thinks he is good enough to play at the highest level.

"England have some fantastic players, but in terms of raw ability he is up there with any of them you want to name. Like all boys that age he still doesn't fully understand what it is all about, but he wants to learn and as long as he keeps wanting to learn he will be a top player. But he is only 22 and someone of that age has got time on his side and he will learn the game and will become an England regular."

Dunn's call-up sees him become ­ in the squad at least ­ a direct replacement for Dyer, whose injury record once again threatens to hamper his progress for England. The Newcastle player was hampered at the World Cup by an end-of-season knee injury. The recurrence of his shin splints could also see him miss games for Newcastle.

The concern over Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, seems to be receding after the Liverpool midfielder linked up with the England party despite picking up an ankle knock in Monday night's 2-2 draw with Newcastle at Anfield.

"The medical people will assess Steven, but he can travel to join the England party," Liverpool's assistant manager, Phil Thompson, said yesterday. "He showed the character he has to stay on the pitch last night."

Dunn and Gerrard were not the only players earning plaudits. Eriksson was optimistic that Alan Smith has learned to curb his disciplinary problems and is looking for the Leeds striker to harness his fiery temperament to positive effect.

One of the main features of this friendly may be the chance to try out Smith alongside Michael Owen, and Eriksson said: "He has a temperament that is good. It can be too much sometimes but you can see that he lives for football. He is a winner, he hates to lose."

Smith's versatility is also a bonus. He has proved he can play effectively on the right side of midfield for Leeds and has been the leading light in a number of roles for the Under-21s in their European Championship campaign. As to whether Smith, who has made three senior appearances as substitute, the most recent in August last year, will start at Villa Park, Eriksson said: "Maybe, we will see. We have to see the players first."

The uncapped Benfica defender João Manuel Pinto has been called up by Portugal. He replaces Jorge Andrade, who broke a bone in his foot during Deportivo La Coruña's defeat by Real Betis on Sunday.