Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests the rules of reported speech (or indirect speech). When the reporting verb ('said') is in the past tense, the verbs in the reported clause usually shift back in tense.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The sentence is in reported speech, indicated by "He said that...". The original, direct speech sentence would have likely been: "I will be there."
According to the rules of reported speech, when the reporting verb is in the past (like 'said'), 'will' changes to 'would'.
- 'need', 'can', and 'want' do not fit the grammatical structure or the logical meaning implied by the direct speech. 'can' would become 'could', for instance.
The correct transformation is:
Direct: He said, "I will be there."
Indirect: He said that he would be there.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (A) because 'would' is the correct past tense form of 'will' in reported speech.