Former England manager Bobby Robson has questioned whether David Beckham is suited to the captaincy of the national side.
"Beckham is a beaut, probably England's best player but as a captain? They probably gave it to him last time because he is a great player but that is not necessarily the ticket for the captaincy," Newcastle United manager Robson told The Sunday Timesnewspaper.
Beckham skippered England for the first time in their last match, the friendly against Italy in November, and now coach Sven Goran Eriksson has hinted he may keep the Manchester United midfielder in the role when he picks his first side for the friendly against Spain on February 28.
Choosing a captain will be one of Eriksson's more difficult tasks following the international retirement of former skippers Tony Adams and Alan Shearer.
Robson, who led his country to the 1990 World Cup semifinals during his reign as national team boss, believes England need a motivator rather than someone who leads by example.
"Captains of England have to be the type Bryan Robson was with me, Tony Adams is at Arsenal and Roy Keane for Manchester United," the Newcastle manager said.
"Your captain does not have to be your best player but he needs to be the guy who is going to get the best out of the others. He has got to have more authority, more control than any other player."
Reuters