Beckham fit for England purpose this time but no captaincy for Gerrard

Capello sent his assistant, Franco Baldini, to watch the 32- year-old midfielder in action for LA Galaxy in Dallas last weekend and after further conversations with members of the Galaxy staff, the England manager is understood to be ready to select the former captain for the first time.

Capello assured supporters recently that Beckham would win his 100th cap, having omitted him from his first squad for the match against Switzerland last month because of a lack of match fitness.

The milestone looks likely to be reached in Paris next Wednesday. Capello also has big plans for Steven Gerrard — but they are unlikely to extend to the England captaincy.

While the England manager may take Rafa Benitez's lead and deploy Gerrard in the hole behind Wayne Rooney against France — he has formed a brilliant partnership with Fernando Torres at Liverpool — Capello is keen to explore other options when it comes to finding a skipper.

Gerrard is an inspirational captain for his club and someone Capello admires enormously, but the Italian did not see the same leader when he asked him to wear the armband against Switzerland at Wembley.

Capello has since said he has 'two or three' potential captains in mind and he will not make a permanent appointment until the World Cup qualifying campaign begins in September.

John Terry, who missed the friendly against Switzerland because of injury, is expected to regain the captaincy for the game in Paris, although this will not necessarily be a permanent appointment.

Capello has four more friendlies before his first competitive match and he intends to use them to find his skipper.

Rio Ferdinand is also thought to be under consideration, as is Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. Capello will name a provisional 30-man squad today before cutting it back to 23 on Saturday night and a number of young, untried faces could feature.

Theo Walcott will definitely be included after being omitted from Stuart Pearce's Under 21 squad and the Arsenal striker can expect to be joined by Aaron Lennon and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

David Wheater, who has been outstanding for Middlesbrough this season at centre half, could also feature.

Capello considered him for the last squad, only to conclude that it would be better to let him represent the Under 21s in what was a competitive fixture.

Wheater was excellent at Arsenal last weekend and has certainly been discussed again.

Capello's decision to leave Joe Hart in the Under 21s is also interesting, not least because England's manager has already identified the Manchester City goalkeeper as a future full international.

It could mean that Capello wants to draft Ben Foster into the squad now that the Manchester United goalkeeper has returned from a long-term injury.

Capello publicly bemoaned the fact that he felt forced to select a 37-year-old in David James and the position of goalkeeper clearly concerns him.

But the situation has improved. The highly-rated Foster is back, Chris Kirkland has been outstanding for Wigan and even Paul Robinson has regained his place at Tottenham. As a result, Scott Carson could be one of the casualties before Capello takes his squad to Paris on Tuesday.

Michael Owen last night insisted the precarious nature of Newcastle's League position takes precedence over his desire to regain his England starting place.

Owen was left on the bench by Capello for the friendly against Switzerland, although his goal in Newcastle's draw at Birmingham on Monday came in front of the national manager.

The 28-year-old said: 'Obviously, everyone wants to get into the manager's team but I have many more important things to worry about until then.

'My main priority is to get many more points for Newcastle and that is what I am concentrating on.

'I have been an England player for several years and I am still only 28. There are, hopefully, plenty of years and more caps under the new manager but we are not in the European Championships.

'We have got to put the relegation thing at Newcastle to bed as soon as possible.'

Newcastle entertain fellow strugglers Fulham at the weekend and Owen said: 'We have a game on Saturday that can help us. We can then look back at a week and say we got four points from teams below us and kick on from there.'

Owen famously questioned Keegan's reign as England coach but believes the manager's influence is finally having a positive reaction at St James' Park, nine games after his return.

Owen said after the Birmingham game: 'In the dressing room there it was the best I have felt.

'It is the first time I could go home and enjoy my day off without thinking about the stresses of football.

'We are bigger and better than to be pleased with drawing at Birmingham. But the manner of what we did and what has happened in the last few weeks has been good.'