England boss Steve McClaren has dropped former captain David Beckham from the 25-man England squad set to play Greece next Wednesday. He, Wayne Rooney, who is suspended for the first two Euro 2008 qualifiers, Joe Cole and Michael Owen (both injured) are the only players from England’s World Cup starting 11 not in the squad. McClaren’s decision to drop Beckham signals the new boss’s intent to take England in a different direction. Indeed, he informed Beckham of his reasons for making the decision prior to naming what is his first squad. “I spoke with David last Monday and notified him of my decision and said I was planning for the future, to change things and go in a different direction, and that David wasn’t included in that,” said McClaren. “I have great respect for David, he was a fantastic captain, a great player and still is. He was disappointed but I got the reaction I wanted. That was for him to continue to fight for a place.” McClaren added that he would never close the door on a player unless that player retired. He said he wanted to produce a team that played with “a certain style.” From the looks of McClaren’s roster, Beckham’s replacement on the right side of midfield is likely to be either Chelsea’s Shaun Wright-Phillips or Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon, one of the few England players to enjoy a good World Cup. Beckham responded to the move by saying that he still has “as much passion to play for England as ever.” McClaren’s other big decision was to name John Terry England’s new captain.