Veron feels Becks has lost it

Juan Sebastian Veron believes former Manchester United team-mate David Beckham has lost his appetite for football.

The Argentine midfielder spent two years playing alongside the England captain before both players left Old Trafford last summer.

Veron had a disastrous season with Chelsea before being loaned out to Internazionale for the forthcoming campaign.

Beckham joined Spanish giants Real Madrid but endured a miserable second half of the season prior to leading England at Euro 2004.

The Three Lions skipper was strangely off-colour in Portugal and missed two crucial penalties, most notably in the quarter final shoot-out defeat to the hosts.

He complained of being unfit while rumours claim Beckham's off-field distractions have contributed to a downturn in his performances.

Veron admits he was surprised at Beckham's lack of impact during the European Championship and believes his old colleague has fallen out of love with the game.

But the Argentine is confident Beckham has the ability to bounce back and recover from his current turmoil.

"When I was his team-mate at United he was the leader of the gang, the guy who took responsibility for everything happening," Veron told The Sun.

"He didn't appear to be the same player at Euro 2004. He has less desire these days.

"Beckham went missing against Portugal. It was as if he wasn't thinking about the match. He seemed to have his mind set on something else.

"The penalties he missed showed he is not in a good place emotionally. There is a lot of pressure on him on and off the pitch.

"It's not easy to be Beckham. You can see that his personal problems and the difficult year he has had in Madrid have affected him.

"But I still think he can be an excellent player and can make a comeback."