If Wayne Rooney doesn't get the opportunity to make an impression at the World Cup, Sven Goran Eriksson might be more inclined to give more of a role to Lennon, another player who has shown that he's capable of turning a game on its head with a touch of magic.
As England's two recent friendlies have proved Eriksson has options on the right wing, but both have subtle differences. Whereas Beckham has always been a master of the free kick he can deliver deep crosses from anywhere, while Lennon's major quality is his pace to beat the full back and get to the line before unleashing an accurate cross into the danger area. Both methods are equally troubling for the opposition's defence and a delight for the forwards.
‘The myth has taken hold: Beckham is past it, he's only in the team because of his occult hold on Sven-Göran Eriksson. How strange it is to be going into a tournament with Beckham as the most overlooked and underrated player in the side,' wonders Simon Barnes in The Times.
But despite Lennon making 20 Premiership appearances last season and getting an hour more than Theo Walcott against Belarus last week, the Arsenal youngster who appeared only 11 times last season for Southampton in the Championship, was given his senior England debut before Lennon, against Hungary.
After Beckham set up two of England's goals at Old Trafford in their first proper friendly since March, Eriksson said: "I have never understood the people who criticised David Beckham." (The Sun)
‘While England will not be able to rely purely on set-pieces if they are to have a genuine chance of lifting the trophy, the accuracy of David Beckham's right foot allied with the aerial power of John Terry will be a potent weapon this summer. David Beckham lacks the stamina of old but his enduring excellence when it comes to delivering crosses and set-pieces cannot be denied by even his fiercest critic,' writes Matt Dickinson in The Times.
Terry who scored for the first time in 23 England appearances, against Hungary on Tuesday night, said: "When you consider David is taking all the corners and dead-balls, I was disappointed I hadn't got off the mark already. I said on a TV programme the other day that Becks has mastered the art of crossing. I had a header which just went over the bar in the first two minutes of Tuesday's game from one of David's crosses. He just kept picking me out all night. I had a feeling that I was eventually going to score so I was delighted when I finally got one on target." (The Sun)