selected Paul Merson and the rising Beckham instead. When McManaman (and Robbie Fowler) opted out of Le Tournoi in 1997 to choose to undergo non-urgent medical operations ahead of international duty, it was noted that this reportedly lost them their team spots as Hoddle though angered at losing them, found a winning team in their absence, and this made it even harder for McManaman to regain his place later. McManaman (and Fowler) were also reported at the time to have been marginalised by Hoddle for not embracing Hoddle's employment of a "faith healer" and mystic named Eileen Drewery, who had been brought in by Hoddle to do psychiatric, vague spiritual or psychological interactions with the players because Hoddle had said she helped him in his career in the past. McManaman and Fowler allegedly poked fun at the lady by asking her "if she knew the winner of the 3.15 at Wincanton so they could put a bet on", while McManaman was reported as saying that 'Hoddle's training camps were "like joining the Moonies."' McManaman's England colleague, Gary Neville conceded Hoddle's methods were regarded as bizarre and included other devices such as 'heart touching', getting staff to walk around the pitch anti-clockwise to create 'positive energy' and the use of legal sporting injections, with McManaman and Fowler allegedly not the only ones who were unable to accept or fit in with Hoddle's training system, and McManaman accusing Hoddle of running things like a cult; favouring those players who were willing to acquiesce to him. McManaman made a total of four starts in seven appearances under Hoddle, and only one appearance at the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Colombia, as a substitute for Paul Scholes. Despite only playing 17 minutes, the press described McManaman's performance: "In 17 minutes did enough to demonstrate that his dainty dribbling could yet be influential against miserly defences. Still gives ball away too much." In Beckham's eponymous autobiography in 2013, he revealed that on the day after the defeat to Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, when he felt all alone and distraught back at the team hotel, it was McManaman (along with Terry Byrne and the England team's masseur, Steve Slattery), who stayed behind to accompany him and play snooker with him late into the night; in order to help take his mind off the fallout of that defeat (having been made the culprit- in getting