Beckham 'fit for Euro Cup final'

Beckham's agony was shared across England as he was stretchered off

LONDON, England -- England captain David Beckham could recover from his foot injury in time for the European Champions Cup final -- if Manchester United make it, his father Ted says.

Beckham has told Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson: "Don't rule me out of the Champions League final if we make it there," British press reports say.

Beckham, 26, broke a bone in his foot in United's Champions Cup quarterfinal on April 10 and has been undergoing intensive treatment. The England captain says he is determined to play at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea beginning May 31.

But Ted Beckham said his son could be ready to play if United make the Champions Cup final on May 15 at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland.

United play Bayer Leverkusen in Germany on Tuesday in the second leg semifinal after drawing the first leg 2-2 at Old Trafford.

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"David is making good progress and things are looking good," Ted Beckham told Britain's Sunday People newspaper.

"He thinks he now has a real chance of making the Champions League final if they get there. It will be touch and go, but David thinks he can make it and he will definitely be fit for the World Cup, I'm sure."

England coach Sven Goran Eriksson has said he will take Beckham to the World Cup even if he has only a small chance of playing.

But he has hinted he does not want Beckham to risk his World Cup fitness by making a hasty comeback for the Champions League final.

Beckham's injury has been a big news story in England for almost three weeks

"I think that David is honest and normally you feel whether you can play or not as a player," Eriksson told the Press Association.

If Beckham should declare himself fit to play at Hampden Park, Eriksson says he is happy to trust in the judgment of the United medical staff, who are overseeing the midfielder's treatment.

He has insisted there is no chance that United would take a risk on a player's fitness in any Champions League final.

"When a bone is healed, it is healed and that's it," added Eriksson.

The injury to Beckham's foot has become a key national issue in England, with thousands of column inches in the UK press devoted to the subject.

Even Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has become involved. Last week the queen offered the services of her granddaughter to help heal England football captain David Beckham's broken foot.

In an unlikely briefing with two tabloid newspaper editors on Thursday, the 76-year-old monarch sympathised with the concerns of fans for the star midfielder.

She was quoted as saying: "I realise it's very important for the country. I don't know enough about stress fractures to go into any detail but I do know he is not doing the right things to get it fixed."