Sam Allardyce plays down Blackburn’s Beckham link

Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has dismissed the possibility of David Beckham moving to Ewood Park.

Rovers’ prospective new owner Ahsan Ali Syed has promised to support Allardyce with significant funds for new players should his takeover go through, and the Indian businessman has expressed a desire to prise the former England captain away from LA Galaxy.

Allardyce, who has previously managed Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United, admitted such a signing would provide a boost to the club’s profile. However, the 55-year-old questioned whether Beckham would opt to return to England after leaving Manchester United in 2003.

“Mr Syed says that he would like to spend it on youth, and then that he would like to sign David Beckham,” said Allardyce. “Obviously that’s not actually youth, but that’s like more of a PR signing that would bring a lot of attention to the club.

“To me it is about whether David is still good enough to play in the Premier League at his age, and he probably is.

“And the other factor is does he want to come to Blackburn and does he want to come back to England?

“In my experience the answer to that is no. He has never really wanted to play for anyone else other than Manchester United, that was the last time I spoke to him which was a number of years ago, and if he can’t do that then he would sooner player somewhere else in the world of football.”