England boss Steve McClaren is expected to axe LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham for Wednesday's Euro2008 qualifier against Croatia.

Becks, 32, looked off the pace in Friday's 1-0 friendly win in Austria and was subbed after an hour.

And boss Steve McClaren refused to guarantee the ex-England skipper would play in Wednesday's clash.

McClaren said: "He needed that game, he needed a run out. It was good to have a look at him.

"What we've got to do now is look through that game again, especially the first half and assess the performance of the team.

"The key over the last three or four months is that there is competition for places.

"Because of injuries, players have come in and done a job. Gareth Barry and Shaun Wright-Phillips have created competition."