EURO 2004 QUALIFYING/Group Seven: David Beckham is making a sentimental return to a home he has only just left. It is a matter of months since he was clearing out his locker at Manchester United, but he is moved to be back in a familiar environment.
His decision to face Liechtenstein, despite the danger of incurring suspension (he already carries a yellow card into the game), is partly explained by the desire to be on the Old Trafford scene once more.
Circumstances make for an overdose of nostalgia, with England using the United training ground where Beckham was virtually raised from boyhood. "I've got a lot of great memories from the Cliff because that's where I started my career," he said.
Some reminiscences, though, must reverberate more than others. It was on the Old Trafford turf that he gave his greatest display. The decline of his relationship with Alex Ferguson may have been steepened by the manager's awareness that performances approaching that standard occurred too rarely for United.
Even before the stoppage-time equaliser against Greece that clinched England's place in the 2002 World Cup, he had seemed to spend the second half in almost constant possession.
Whether reliving that feeling or simply recalling achievements with United, the ground has a potent attraction for Beckham. There is unlikely to be any encounter with Ferguson, whom he has criticised in his autobiography; the Scot is not expected to attend. "It will be nice playing at Old Trafford," Beckham said. "I expected to go back there at some point with Real Madrid. Then this fixture was given to us. I'm sure the reception from the fans will be good. They'll be looking forward to the future with their team and I'm looking forward to the future with mine.
"The atmosphere at Old Trafford has always been great, with 67,000 fans and the passion of the people in Manchester. Walking into Old Trafford you automatically get a great feeling. Now that I'm with Real Madrid I get goose bumps when I go into the Bernabeu. They've both got that aura."
Liechtenstein should be even more starry-eyed than Beckham to appear before such a throng. They are used to being ignored. With a population to draw upon that is less than half the capacity of United's stadium, they are also accustomed to losing, and their new coach Walter Hormann cannot alter that.
Some might view this fixture as an invitation to experiment, but England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will settle for small yet thought-provoking adjustments. "Maybe we will give Wayne Bridge a chance, why not?" he said, as if he had at last been tempted into a headstrong deed.
Eriksson will continue with the system he employed for the second half in Macedonia, although Wayne Rooney will link up with James Beattie and Michael Owen, with Emile Heskey standing down so that Beattie can get his first real chance to show his worth.
The use of three genuine forwards is not rash and the coach can be sure of outdoing Alf Ramsey in a minor, statistical respect by running up an eighth consecutive win.
Guardian Service
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