David Beckham has urged Liverpool fans to put club prejudice to one side and not hurl abuse at him and his Manchester United teammates during England's World Cup qualifier with Finland at Anfield tomorrow.

Beckham, who has spelled out his desire to be given the captaincy on a permanent basis, also pleaded with supporters not to barrack his watching wife Victoria and baby Brooklyn.

The midfielder, who will lead his country for the third time after being captain against Spain and Italy, has run a gauntlet of hate with Liverpool fans because he plays for United.

But he wants all that rivalry to be forgotten for 90 minutes as England begin a vital five-day period with six points a necessity against Finland and then Albania on Wednesday.

Beckham said: ''I am used to getting stick when playing at Anfield but I am hoping the club rivalry does not get the better of supporting England on Saturday.

''All fans have got to put club things aside, and I think the real England supporters will do that.

''For me to walk out with the England team and look at a Kop which will see thousands of fans cheering for the whole team would be something special.

''That's the most important thing, and we are really hoping the fans get behind us like we know they can do.''

Beckham admitted: ''When your wife and family are watching it is worrying at times. It is sad that you sometimes worry about your family coming to a football game.

''It would be really nice if they could come to the game and enjoy it and not be concerned about getting in and out of the ground.

''The good thing is that it is changing for the better, and I think being captain has helped to ease that a lot although we understand that there was a certain amount of stick because of the England and club situation.''

Beckham would dearly love coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to hand him the captain's armband on a permanent basis.

Eriksson is still refusing to confirm Beckham in the post full-time, although the fact he has appointed him for a World Cup qualifier suggests a permanent appointment may not be too far away.

Beckham said: ''Ten days before the England team is announced it's always 'Is Beckham going to be captain?' or 'Does he deserve to be captain' or something similar.

''I work hard and as long as I am doing well and if I am playing well I think I deserve to keep the captaincy. It's up to the manager whether he keeps me as captain but being captain for the first World Cup qualifier where he is in charge has made it more concrete.''

Beckham could not resist having a joke about his new role and said: ''I had to decide the other day whether to train on thick or thin snow.

''That's the first major decision I had to make. We went for the thin snow and had a few snowball fights. It was a big decision for me!

''But in all seriousness having the job fills me with pride, and it will certainly be that way when I walk out leading the team on Saturday for a game we know we must win.

''We have to try and take six points from these two games with Finland and Albania to get our qualification programme back on track.''

Beckham seems at ease with his role and life in general but admitted he desperately wants to lead his country to some silverware.

He said: ''I'm as happy and content as I've been since I've started playing. There is a lot of pressure on me and the things that surround me, but I'm enjoying my life and my football. Everything that surrounds me goes over my head.''

l Under-fire Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri found a much-needed ally in new England Under-21 captain John Terry. Ranieri has been roundly criticised in recent months as Chelsea continually fail to live up to their undoubted potential.

According to Terry, Ranieri is now looking towards the youthful English element coming through the ranks at a club which has become renowned in the past for an ageing foreign policy. ''He has looked at the youngsters because the team is quite old,'' said Terry before England's European Under-21 Championship qualifier with Finland.

''He has definitely brought in five or six of us, and I think it's good for the team and the squad to have a bit of youth.''