No public Eriksson rap for Beckham

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON insisted he would keep private any criticism of David Beckham for missing next week’s World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan as he pondered how best to replace his captain in Baku.

Eriksson refused to publicly condemn Beckham for his two reckless clashes with Ben Thatcher, which resulted in him picking up a second booking of the campaign and sustaining a hairline rib fracture.

Early reports indicate the Real Madrid midfielder may be out for more than a month, although his condition will be reassessed in detail on his return to Spain.