Beattie gets England call after Smith saga

James Beattie has been drafted into the England squad to face Denmark this weekend after Alan Smith was sent home just a few …

James Beattie has been drafted into the England squad to face Denmark this weekend after Alan Smith was sent home just a few hours after being called up.

Eriksson initially left both Beattie and Smith out of his party for the friendly at Old Trafford but was forced to draft in the latter with doubts over the fitness of Darius Vassell.

But before Smith joined the squad in Manchester, he was questioned by police over allegations that he threw a bottle into the crowd at Elland Road last month. A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police said Smith, who was released on bail, would have to return to a police station at a later date and a file would be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The FA released a lengthier statement on Friday morning, revealing they have started an internal review into the confusion surrounding Smith's call-up and release.

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But he said that it would have been "inappropriate" for the Leeds striker to have remained with the England squad following his arrest.

With Vassell unlikely to recover from his knee injury, which will be assessed by England medical staff on Friday, Eriksson decided to draft in Beattie.