David Beckham is backing himself to make a big impact as new England captain and underlined his determination to hold on to the role long-term.

Beckham will skipper his country for the first time when caretaker coach Peter Taylor's new-look side face the daunting task of trying to overcome Italy in Turin tonight.

Even Beckham admitted to being ''astonished'' by such a scenario barely two years after he became public enemy number one for his sending-off in the 1998 World Cup finals against Argentina in France.

But he is confident of adapting to the role even though his only previous experience of starting a game with the armband was with the Manchester United youth side during a tournament in Ireland.

And Beckham is looking to emulate the kind of leadership qualities demonstrated by former Red Devils skipper Bryan Robson and current captain Roy Keane in front of coach-in-waiting Sven-Goran Eriksson.

He said: ''I am not going to be one of those captains that will be shouting my mouth off in quite the way that Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and Tony Adams do.

''I'll probably be a little bit quieter than them on the pitch and certainly people see me around the team hotel as that sort of person.

''But I'll bring something to the team as captain and I think I can make a difference once I've got the armband on, even though I recognise I'll have to change my ways in a lot of senses.

''Part of being captain is you having to gee players up and I know I'll have to get more involved and talk to the players even though it will be hard at first.

''We have a tough test on Wednesday in Italy and for a young team it will be very difficult. I'm lucky enough to have played there for United and it's my job to tell the players what it's going to be like.

''However, if I want to keep the captaincy I need to make an impression on the rest of the players, the current coach and the one who will be coming in soon who will be in the stands watching on Wednesday.''

Beckham admitted: ''I'd love to keep the job when the new coach comes in. It's the best honour in football. I'm lucky enough to get it at only 25 and at a young age you can really enjoy it.

''After what happened two years ago in France and then not being liked by a lot of people, it is astonishing that two years on from that I am captain of England. It is the most special thing that has happened.

''If the new coach decides to give it to someone else, at least I've experienced what it means being captain - but the most important thing is keeping it.

''I led United's youth team out when they took part in a cup in Ireland and we won it - so let's hope that is a good omen.''

It was Adams who helped Beckham initially recover from the despair of St. Etienne and he is aware other players may turn to him for a shoulder to cry on.

He said: ''Tony was great to me after what happened in France and I think you always have to talk to players as a captain.

"I needed that at the time and maybe in the future, if I'm still captain, players might need some of the sort of comforting he gave me.

''When I first broke through at United you could always go and talk to Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce.

''You could go up to Bryan and talk no matter what level of player you were, youngster or in the first team, and that's the sort of leadership I'll always remember.

''It's the same with Roy Keane and I'm lucky enough to have played under him and Bryan. The leadership quality is the biggest thing I can learn from both of them and I've got to try to give it to other players.

''But the biggest thing I can do is if I can influence the players with what I can do on the pitch not with my mouth but with my feet.''

Beckham concedes it is a strange feeling, at the age of 25, being considered one of the senior players in Taylor's young squad.

''There is an excitement and freshness about the place because there are so many young faces who want to prove they can do the business at this level. It's a bit weird being in the older category at just 25. I still don't feel old!

''It is like a new beginning for a lot of players although you can never say what is going to happen in the future because a lot of the older players will come back into the squad. This will be a massive test against an experienced Italian team with some great players.