David Beckham last night pledged he would be fit to lead England into the ''Group of Death'' and warned their World Cup rivals that other injuries would not effect Sven-Goran Eriksson's bid for glory in Japan.

National skipper Beckham, now back running after the broken metatarsal in his foot, does not plan to play in the warm-up games against South Korea (May 21) and Cameroon (May 26).

But he will pull on the captain's armband against Sweden on June 2 and he insists the likely absences of Kieron Dyer and Steven Gerrard will only allow England's other star players the opportunity to shine.

Beckham, whose squad flew to Dubai yesterday for five days of rest and relaxation, emphasised the massive importance of making a flying start to the tournament.

He said: ''The injuries are devastating. But the squad are so upbeat that there will hopefully be more ups than downs.

''It would be nice for Kieron, Steven and Gary to be here, but the French squad are missing Robert Pires and other teams are missing players, so you have to get over it.

''We're a strong bunch and we will get over the problems. I'll show as much leadership as I can.

''But the players are not down they are excited about going to the finals. So many people are talking about the ''Group of Death'', but we've got to try and blank those thoughts out.

''It's a very hard group, but if you're going to do well in big competitions, you've got to beat the best. We're not going there to draw games we've got to think we can win every game.''

The 27-year-old said: ''I'm aiming for June 2 and I think my foot will be fine. I've been out for five weeks and my fitness is about 95per cent and I'm 95per cent sure I'll be back for the Sweden game.

''I have to be careful, as if I come back too early there's a chance it could crack again. I'll leave it as long as I can, as kicking a ball won't be a problem.'