Capello Ready to Hand Beckham 100th Cap in Paris

Fabio Capello has moved to reassure David Beckham that he will be given his 100th England cap this season and, despite concerns over the former captain's fitness, he has been told he is "in contention" for the friendly in France this month.

Beckham, currently in China on a pre-season tour with Los Angeles Galaxy, was substituted 70 minutes into yesterday's victory over Shanghai-Hong Kong United as a precaution because he felt his right leg stiffening after a kick on the thigh.

Capello will send his general manager, Franco Baldini, to assess the 32-year-old in a friendly against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Texas on March 15. The Major League Soccer season proper does not begin until March 29, three days after England's match against France in Paris, when Galaxy travel to face Colorado Rapids.

Should Beckham fail to prove his match fitness in time for the game at Stade de France, he would be in line to play in a proposed friendly against the United States at Wembley on May 28. "Either I or, probably, Franco will go and see David and assess his fitness against Dallas," said Capello. "We will check him in Dallas and then we will decide whether he will be fit for the squad for the France game.

"He will get his 100th cap if he is fit and in form. I know Beckham very well from Madrid. I hope David will play the 100th game and get the cap he deserves. I understand from reading his last interview that, at this moment, his fitness isn't good. I will phone him, because I want to know exactly what he thinks about his fitness at this moment. But I am confident."

England travel to Trinidad & Tobago for a friendly in early June after the proposed game against the US - contracts have yet to be signed - as Capello prepares for next season's World Cup qualifiers. The Italian will choose his long-term captain before the Andorra fixture on September 6. "I have to know the man, not only the player," he said. "He has to be a big player, but also a symbol."

Capello confided: "The first problem I came across [with England] was the difference in confidence the players have between their clubs and the national team. I saw a lot of games and when they played for their clubs they were very confident, but when they played against Switzerland they changed. I have to recover their confidence in themselves because, if you play with fear, it's impossible to win. The future will be better. So there is optimism."