Beckham gets the axe

Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell and goalkeeper David James were also omitted while McClaren announced that former England coach Terry Venables would be his assistant.

West Ham United striker Dean Ashton was selected for the first time, while there were recalls for strikers Jermain Defoe and Marcus Bent.

Beckham limped off with an Achilles tendon injury during England8217;s defeat by Portugal on July 1 and announced that he was standing down as captain after six years the following day.

Beckham had insisted that he still wanted to be part of McClaren8217;s plans, although many have questioned his value to the team with the emergence of younger players in his position.

Tottenham Hotspur8217;s Aaron Lennon, who is in the squad, is widely tipped to replace Beckham on the right side of midfield as is Chelsea8217;s Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The leader of England8217;s so-called golden generation, Beckham8217;s hopes of emulating the late Bobby Moore by captaining his country to a first major trophy since 1966 have always ended in frustration and despair.

Beckham8217;s highlights in an England shirt include his fantastic last-minute free kick against Greece in 2001 which rescued a 2-2 draw and a place in the 2002 World Cup finals and his penalty winner against Argentina in Japan.

There have been some lows, however, most notably his red card against Argentina at France 98 for a kick at Diego Simeone 8211; an act that led to vilification at home.

On Thursday Chelsea defender John Terry was named as Beckham8217;s successor as captain by McClaren.