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Mancienne confirmed in England squad, Beckham left out

16/11/2008

Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne has been confirmed in the England squad to face Germany in a friendly on Wednesday.

Mancienne had originally been named in the under-21 squad but news broke yesterday that he could be given a place in the senior side and manager Fabio Capello confirmed his selection last night.

There is no place in the 23-man party for former captain David Beckham who has been short of match practice since the end of the MLS season, while Newcastle United striker Michael Owen has also been omitted.

Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney have also been ruled out due to injuries.

Mancienne, who is currently on loan with Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, admitted the call up was a dream come true.

"It's a great honour," said the 20-year-old. "It's every boy's dream to represent their country at the highest level and is a massive achievement.

"I was expecting to join up with the under-21s and my head was focused on that but this is obviously great news."

Capello has named a number of other players who have flourished in the under-21's along with Mancienne.

Goalkeepers Joe Hart and Scott Carson join regular stopper David James, while there are also call ups for Aston Villa's Curtis Davies, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Capello says he is likely to experiment a little because it is a friendly, though the Italian admitted he had been warned that games between Germany and England always have a slight edge even if they are 'friendlies'.

He said: "Everyone has told me that it is not a friendly game against Germany, but I think this will be a friendly game. We will do some experiments and after this game I will know better some different players."

As expected Tottenham's Darren Bent has also been rewarded with a place in the squad following his recent return to form.

England squad to play Germany: Scott Carson, Joe Hart, David James, Wayne Bridge, Curtis Davies, Glenn Johnson, John Terry, Joleon Lescott, Michael Mancienne, Micah Richards, Matthew Upson, Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Theo Walcott.