Beckham underlines Walcott threat

Walcott has taken time to recapture his best form for Arsenal after returning from the shoulder operation which sidelined him for four months, and he found himself being substituted at half-time by Fabio Capello during the 4-0 win over Kazakhstan in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday. But Beckham has great faith in the ability of the former Southampton player.

He said: "I think Theo Walcott has performed well every time he has put on an England shirt. He is always a threat. A player with that pace and the way he runs at players and goes past players, he is always a threat."

The former England captain added: "He is a talented player and, even against Kazakhstan, you gave him the ball, you put the ball in front of him, and he causes any defence problems.

"I have not seen too many of his Arsenal games. I don't care what anyone says about his form. Theo is going to be a threat to any defender in the world. Whether he is in form or not, he is going to be a threat to any player. He is a great person, and a great player, and he is fine."

Beckham could come into contention for a rare start under Capello against Andorra at Wembley on Wednesday with Gareth Barry ruled out through suspension after being yellow carded in Almaty.

But he claimed: "I am not even thinking about that. We will enjoy this win and then move on to Wednesday. Whether I am playing or others play, we have a very talented group of players.

"Whoever steps in for Gareth, is going to be great."

Beckham was pleased with the way England overcame a sticky opening spell against Kazakhstan to maintain their 100% record in the group with a sixth successive win.

He said: "Most important was the result. That is what you aim for when you come to places like this. You aim to perform and get a result if you can. We have scored a lot of goals in the campaign so far, and hopefully it continues, but the three points is the most important thing."