Former England defender Danny Mills has hit out at Stuart Pearce's decision not to include David Beckham in the Team GB squad for this summer's Olympics.

Mills, who played 19 times for his country, claimed that Pearce has had trouble handling big players in the past, and that this may have been a reason behind Beckham's absence.

Opinion has been divided over Pearce's decision, but Mills believes that Beckham is still a good enough player to warrant a place in the squad.

"There's always an issue around the Beckham brand. We know how big he is - he's global, he's huge. But when it comes to football reasons, David Beckham can still do a job," said Mills.

"I think it would have been a great spectacle and I think it's a bit of a shame he's not in there.

"Stuart Pearce doesn't always like confrontation and he's struggled with big players in the past. Maybe he's thinking that what Beckham brings with him is too much to handle."

Beckham still looks likely to have a part to play at the Olympics, however, as Lord Sebastian Coe could offer him a non-playing role.