When he tearfully stood down from the captaincy the day after England’s exit from the World Cup finals, Beckham declared his wish to help McClaren and whoever would take up the armband, but the Real Madrid midfield player will be watching from home when John Terry — confirmed as the new skipper yesterday — leads his country out against Greece at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Beckham’s last appearance ended when he limped off shortly after half-time during the quarter-final defeat to Portugal. He sat crying on the bench and, given how much he has loved playing for his country since making his debut under Glenn Hoddle nearly a decade ago, he will almost certainly have shed a few tears on discovering that McClaren sees no future for him in his new England team. Fitness is not an issue, Beckham having played for Real in a midweek friendly.

He had contributed from set-pieces at the World Cup finals, scoring England’s only goal against Ecuador from a trademark free kick (the last of his 17 goals), but, at 31, had lost the ability to charge up and down the right flank. Eriksson was extraordinarily loyal to his captain, but there were plenty of occasions when the team needed more pace and penetration. That will now be provided by Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips or perhaps Steven Gerrard.

McClaren will have to explain his thinking today, when he also unveils Terry Venables as his assistant, but it seems that, having decided that Beckham would not be in his starting XI, he wanted to make an entirely clean break. He had already declared that he would be doing things differently from Eriksson, his predecessor, and he has certainly lived up to that promise by ending Beckham’s international career.

McClaren yesterday predicted with some certainty that Terry “will prove to be one of the best” captains in the country’s history.While both Terry and Gerrard were formidable candidates, McClaren opted against the more daring policy — an eventuality that Middlesbrough supporters will be familiar with — of building his new-look England around Gerrard. At Liverpool, captaincy has inspired the midfield player, who will serve as Terry’s deputy, and the debate was whether a similar position of responsibility would have had the same effect.

“Choosing a captain is one of the most important decisions a coach has to make,” McClaren said. “I’m certain I’ve got the right man in John Terry. I’m convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had. John has all the attributes an international captain needs: leadership, authority, courage, ability, tactical awareness and a total refusal to accept second-best.

“He has been an inspiration for Chelsea and is at his best in adversity. Over the five years I’ve been involved with the England coaching set-up, I’ve seen first hand the respect that John has among his fellow players. There are a number of strong leaders in the squad and he will not lack support on and off the pitch.” Gerrard voiced his “100 per cent support to Steve and John”.

McClaren will today announce that Venables, a predecessor as head coach, and Steve Round, a coach at Middlesbrough, will form his back-room staff, as well as declaring the squad for the visit of Greece.

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