LONDON, England -- New England coach Fabio Capello has omitted David Beckham from his first squad in charge for next Wednesday's friendly international against Switzerland at Wembley.
David Beckham will have to wait to earn his 100th England cap after being omitted by coach Fabio Capello.
The England manager telephoned the 32-year-old midfielder on Wednesday and broke the news to Beckham -- who is just one appearance short of becoming the fifth man to earn 100 England caps -- but assured him he could be part of his future plans.
Speaking about the squad, Capello said: "I have selected a squad of 30 players as I think it is important that all the players are equal from the beginning.
"There are a lot of games before we join up and I think it is better that we are prepared for any injuries. This way we are not expecting to call players up as late replacements when I name a 23-man squad on Saturday evening.
"Franco Baldini and I have been watching many games since we arrived in England and we have tried to see as many English players as possible before deciding on the squad. There were a number of players that we already knew about but there are many we have seen playing live for the first time.
"We will use the time between now and our first World Cup qualifying match in September to look at the players and find the best formula for the England team. I will also look at players who have not been included in the squad this time.
"I have also worked very closely with Stuart Pearce on squad selection and there are some players like Joe Hart, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott and David Wheater who are with the U21s this time because they have a very important qualification game against Ireland on Tuesday. In the future these are players that could feature in the senior squad. I believe it is very important for everyone that the U21 team does well and I want to help them achieve success with Stuart.
"I know there has been a lot of discussion about David Beckham. The reason that David is not in the squad is because he has not had any real match practice since playing in November. When I spoke with David on the phone yesterday I advised him that he is still part of my plans and once he is playing regularly in America we will look closely at him again.
"I will go to the Manchester City - Arsenal match on Saturday, while Franco Baldini will watch Tottenham - Manchester United before I name the final 23-man squad on Saturday."
Beckham will be disappointed by the news, especially as he has been training with Arsenal during his holiday -- Major League Soccer's close season -- to get fit for Capello's first game.
Gabriel Agbonlahor is among five Aston Villa players named by Capello reflecting their progress under manager Martin O'Neill, while Newcastle's Michael Owen is also included.
Apart from Beckham, Capello has also omitted Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who has lost his place for club and country, with Portsmouth's David James joined by Villa's Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland of Wigan.
England squad:
Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth) Scott Carson (Aston Villa) Chris Kirkland (Wigan)
Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea) Ashley Cole (Chelsea) Curtis Davies (Aston Villa) Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) Ledley King (Tottenham) Nicky Shorey (Reading) Wes Brown (Manchester United) Joleon Lescott (Everton) Micah Richards (Manchester City) Matthew Upson (West Ham) Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Manchester United) Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham) Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United) Joe Cole (Chelsea) Ashley Young (Aston Villa) Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea) David Bentley (Blackburn)
Strikers: Emile Heskey (Wigan) Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) Michael Owen (Newcastle United) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) Peter Crouch (Liverpool). E-mail to a friend 
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