Football: Becks set for recall.

DAVID Beckham was close to an England recall last night as Steve McClaren prepared to make a huge U-turn.

The England manager watched tapes of Beckham's man of the match display for Real Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League and admitted he was close to welcoming the former skipper back into the fold. McClaren said: "It gives me a problem, but it's one of the problems you welcome, players putting pressure on and performing well in their clubs.

"It's a problem I'd rather have than not have, so it will be interesting."

Only last week, McClaren had insisted he had "no plans" to see Beckham in action for Real Madrid or in next month's return to Old Trafford to play for a European Select side against Manchester United.

But after seeing Beckham seal his renewed place in coach Fabio Capello's first team plans with a starring role in Madrid's 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich, the England boss hinted he was having a major rethink.

Beckham's strength of character in proving Capello wrong was hailed by McClaren, who had previously made it clear that there was no chance of the former captain coming back into his England thoughts.

Now, though, McClaren appears to have undergone a dramatic change of mind and he added: "That's what you get from David Beckham, a positive reaction to every adversity he has gone through in his career. He has always bounced back, been professional."

CAPTION(S):

U-TURN: Steve McClaren