By IANS
London : England manager Steve McClaren has described star midfielder David Beckham as a “true patriot” as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
Beckham resumed training with Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles Galaxy in the US this week after being out of action for more than a month with a sprained right knee.
The injury ruled Beckham out of England’s Euro 2008 qualifiers in September and the midfielder is also set to miss the forthcoming games with Estonia and Russia.
England require two wins from the games, Oct 13 and 17 respectively, to seal qualification for next year’s finals in Austria and Switzerland.
If England do not beat both Estonia and Russia, progression will come down to the final Group E game with Croatia Nov 21.
Beckham is determined to be fit in time for the Croatia match and McClaren has praised the 32-year-old’s dedication.
“He’s a true patriot and he loves playing for England,” McClaren said. “That’s still his motivation, that’s still his mind-set.
“He’s working towards that (the Croatia game). He’s in late training at the moment and that’s his target to be back playing and in contention for that squad.”