England need Beckham! He would be the perfect substitute to keep the ball

By Martin Keown

PUBLISHED: 17:00 EST, 3 April 2013 | UPDATED: 04:29 EST, 4 April 2013

If a young English player had put in a good performance against the best midfield in the world, we would be raving about him, purring about his future in an England shirt.

So why should it be any different with David Beckham? He played well against Barcelona on Tuesday night and reminded us that, at 37, he still has plenty to offer.

Beckham creates so much time on the ball and is extremely calm in possession. He plays difficult passes and makes them look easy. He reminds me of Tiger Woods playing an approach shot the way he feathers the ball to his team-mates.

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Top level: David Beckham looked comfortable against some of the world's very best

Top level: David Beckham looked comfortable against some of the world's very best

For someone who is 37 years old to pass the ball that well in the company of Xavi and Andres Iniesta is impressive. Yes, Blaise Matuidi alongside Beckham in central midfield had to work hard but Beckham’s lack of pace is made up for by the fact that he rarely gives the ball away.

Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic made more passes for the French side and he played the full match compared to Beckham’s 70 minutes.

Beckham does not have the pace to play on the wing any more but he managed his energy well, even if he looked tired by the time he was substituted. The more he plays, the better his fitness will get. Even now, the amount he grafted out of possession impressed me.

Striking: Beckham is the only Englishman left in the Champions League

Striking: Beckham is the only Englishman left in the Champions League

Finest hour? Keown also played when Beckham scored that famous late equaliser against Greece 2001

Finest hour? Keown also played when Beckham scored that famous late equaliser against Greece 2001

He kept a good shape for the team. It’s doubly amazing when you consider that he snapped his achilles three seasons ago, which could have been very difficult to recover from at his age.

Where does he fit in for England? Wherever you want, really, though he might be best used from the bench.

He played in a Champions League match on Tuesday, not a testimonial. It was top-level football and he’s the only Englishman still in the competition. Beckham and Paul Scholes were the two best passers of a ball I played with for England and neither have lost that. They, along with Ryan Giggs, are the Peter Pans of football.

'Peter Pans': Beckham and Paul Scholes continue to defy their age

'Peter Pans': Beckham and Paul Scholes continue to defy their age

Patriotic: Beckham still hopes to play for England again, even though he is 38 next month

Patriotic: Beckham still hopes to play for England again, even though he is 38 next month

Under pressure against Montenegro, England struggled to hold on to the ball. Beckham would be perfect to bring on in a situation like that and keep possession. There’s care in his passing. His team-mates don’t have to adjust or check their run. Barcelona press the ball so much and he still got rid of it quickly and accurately.

Our remaining World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland and Moldova will be at a lower level than this. He has to come into the manager’s thinking after performing in such a big game.

In a pressure situation, England haven’t always coped recently, they have given up leads. Beckham can help take the sting out of the opposition. Plus his use of the dead ball is still very threatening. On top of that, Beckham offers something off the pitch. He is a good role model to have in the England squad. He would bring quality to training and improve the level.

International team-mates: Sportsmail's Martin Keown played alongside Beckham for England

International team-mates: Sportsmail's Martin Keown played alongside Beckham for England

Side by side: The duo lined up in a friendly against Mexico at Pride Park

Side by side: The duo lined up in a friendly against Mexico at Pride Park

Players copy other players and he has very good habits. Someone like Jack Wilshere can only benefit from having him around every day.

Beckham has so much mental strength and belief in his own ability. You don’t hear him talk about retiring. 

Early days: The pair played at France 98 together which was unhappy time for Beckham after his sending off

Early days: The pair played at France 98 together which was unhappy time for Beckham after his sending off

Getting stuck in: Beckham and Keown fight for the ball during training at the 2002 World Cup

Getting stuck in: Beckham and Keown fight for the ball during training at the 2002 World Cup

I wanted to have him back in the Premier League to see if he could still cut it. His performance against Barcelona proved that he can. There’s no reason to think he couldn’t do the same for England.

The road to Brazil 2014 could still be pretty rocky for England and Beckham has a role to play to get them there.

 

 

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A few weeks ago we apparently needed Rio and look what happened there

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perfect sub?? i'd be starting him, half of that england team act and play like they don't care about playing for their country

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lol

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Beckham seems to think he's the second coming of Stanley Matthews.... He's not, he's too old and he's not good enough. @Real Talk- Players in Italy play into their 40's? No they don't, Maldini was an exception not the rule. The team that dumped England out of the Euro was one made up predominantly of players in their 20's with no 40 odd year olds in sight. "Stop being so ignorant"...... Stop making things up and take your own advice.

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Keown is from the Graham Taylor school of management - England have to move on and nurture the younger players. Beckham was woeful against Barca despite what ITV might tell you or show you on their highlights reel. He was chasing shadows and barely touched the ball. PSG looked much better when the 20yr old Verratti came on.

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Nay sayers...have u forgotten Roger Milla? This notion that you're washed up by about 28-30 yo is foolish. The guy still has a lot to offer.

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We have an Idiot called Gerrard doing exactly the same job as "Becks" was doing for PSG- sat behind the centre circle hitting hopefull 40 yard balls. Please will these so called expert pundits give it a rest.

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Beckham's age isn't really the issue. Paul Scholes is older. But the difference is Scholes can still do the business for the best side in the country on a regular basis. The same with Ryan Giggs who is nearly 40. Beckham played well last week, but wouldn't have solved England's problems in Montenegro. Even if he was on the bench, Hodgson wouldn't have brought him on until Montenegro scored. Hodgson could've brought on Parker or Lampard to push back the tide when we were being outplayed in midfield. Also just a note on keeping possession. This problem has been something that we have failed to do stretching back to the Eriksson days. Beckham was very much part of that.

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Beckham could be our Pirlo.

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Get Bobby Charlton back in the team as well, seems about right.

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