Beckham aims to ‘raise bar’ this season

DAVID BECKHAM admitted he must ‘raise the bar’ if he is to avoid being dumped from the Manchester United line-up.

On the eve of United's vital Champions League qualifier with Hungarian minnows Zalaegerszeg in Budapest, Beckham said the entire Old Trafford squad need to raise their level of performance to avoid a repeat of last season's trophy-less campaign.

Beckham had difficulties of his own last term when he was rested by Sir Alex Ferguson after virtually carrying England through the final stages of their World Cup qualifying programme, then battling through fitness problems when he got to the Far East.

But now, if still not quite 100%, the England skipper is raring to go, eager to forget the memories of the previous 12 months.

''Each year you have to take your performances to another level,'' he said. ''Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world and if you don't raise the bar every season you don't get into the team.

''Last year was a big disappointment and we are trying to forget what happened but the need to play this match is a gentle reminder and it is up to us to put it right.''

It is one of the ironies of the Champions League format that in order to make it to the group stages, the title winners in one country must face a team who could do no better than finish third in their own league.

The situation is working in United's favour of course and they enter the tie as huge favourites against a team not only embarking on their first European adventure but one who must entertain the Red Devils 250km from home in the Hungarian capital because their own stadium is under reconstruction.

Zala also face the prospect of becoming virtually the away team.

United's squad were welcomed into the country by over 1,000 hungry autograph hunters at the airport, almost all wearing the famous red strip.

A 28,000 sell-out is guaranteed at the Ferenc Puskas formerly Nep Stadium, with visitors' sponsors Vodafone buying up almost half the capacity and handing on the tickets to grateful subscribers.

Ferguson has a few fitness worries, with neither Rio Ferdinand nor Fabien Barthez able to make the trip with ankle and hip problems respectively.

While there are no question marks over Northern Ireland international Roy Carroll, who will stand in for the Frenchman tomorrow, 18-year-old Ben Williams finds himself perched on the bench for a tie Ferguson admits losing 'would be a complete disaster'.

John O'Shea is set to get the nod over Wes Brown to replace Ferdinand, with Ferguson acknowledging the giant strides made in recent times by the 21-year-old Irish international.

''Physically, John was very immature last year but he has got stronger and made a big improvement,'' he said.

Brown is likely to find himself acting as understudy to full-back Phil Neville so, with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer almost certain to be paired up front, much interest will surround the four man combination Ferguson chooses in the midfield. And despite the serialisation of his controversial autobiography, Roy Keane is an automatic choice, as it seems are Beckham and Ryan Giggs in the wide positions. It could mean a straight choice between Nicky Butt and Juan Sebastian Veron for a central berth, with Paul Scholes relegated to bench duties despite his combative half hour against Boca Juniors at the weekend.

With their Premier League title tilt launched against West Brom on Saturday, United have no more time to digest the reasons why last season went so disastrously wrong.

Ferguson reiterated his belief it was a lack of focus during the early stages of the campaign, while Beckham, making it clear he was not passing judgement on Keane's weekend observations, insisted there was nothing wrong inside the dressing room.

''Our hunger and desire gets stronger every year,'' he said. ''We are not thinking about winning trophies, or even individual matches, we are just determined to go out there and perform and put right the things which went wrong.''

Despite the fall of Communism over a decade ago, Budapest has apparently become a haven for suicide bidders. Had Ferguson wandered to the window of his hotel room and gazed across the River Danube yesterday evening, he might have spied another tortured soul being coaxed out of a desire to end it all by the local constabulary.

His multi-million pound side may be lacking some famous faces but, against a team whose biggest star is former Charlton keeper Sasa Ilic, anything other than a place in the cash-rich Champions League proper and Ferguson will know exactly how that poor chap felt.