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Beckham ruled out Wilkinson prepares beleaguered England side for Finland
LONDON (Reuters) -- England, which lost manager Kevin Keegan on Saturday, will take on Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday without influential midfielder David Beckham, caretaker coach Howard Wilkinson said. Wilkinson, who has stepped in as coach after Keegan quit following a 1-0 home defeat by Germany in its opening Group 9 qualifier, said on Sunday that Beckham and fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard had been ruled out of the Helsinki game because of injury. Wilkinson said Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Graeme Le Saux had also picked up injuries. He admitted he had no clear view of his squad for a game England must win to get their 2002 campaign back on track. "There will be changes because Beckham is out," said Wilkinson, adding he had been shocked by Keegan's surprise resignation. "All I have got at the moment is a view of Finland and a hazy view of our squad because some key players may come back injured." Wilkinson said he had appointed Brian Kidd, former assistant coach at Manchester United, and former England defender Stuart Pearce as his assistants to replace Arthur Cox and Peter Beardsley who quit after Keegan's resignation. He refused to say whether he thought he would have the job after Wednesday's game.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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