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Beckham: I Wish I Had Aaron Lennon's Pace
The former England captain hails his heir-apparent.
Sep 10, 2009 2:33:44 PM
Former England captain David Beckham has spoken out on his admiration for national team-mate Aaron Lennon, whose sterling performance yesterday against Croatia at Wembley has seemingly solidified his status as first-choice right midfielder ahead of Beckham.
Ever diplomatic, Beckham had nothing but glowing praise for the 22-year-old Tottenham Hotspur wing wizard and marveled at his quickness in zipping up and down the flank.
"A player with that pace, what I'd give for a little bit of that pace," said Beckham with a wry smile. "You know, just a little bit of it.
"Aaron is an exceptional player. When he's played for England in the past he's always done well. He's performing well for Tottenham and he's performed really well in training for these ten days so he's deserved his chance. He's taken his chance and he deserves it because he's not just a great lad, but what a player as well.
"Congratulations to him because he deserves it."
Beckham also discussed England's emphatic 5-1 victory over Croatia yesterday, which saw them through to the World Cup with two qualifying games to spare.
"To qualify, eight wins out of eight, and to do it at Wembley, it's always special. I'm not sure many games compare to the Germany game that we played, but this is close," he said, referring to England's 2001 World Cup qualifying 5-1 thrashing of Germany in Munich. "Especially when you play at home and you play against a difficult team and the importance of the game as well.
"But you could tell before the game that the lads were ready for it and the lads were up for the game. The expectation levels are going to be higher. Because that's what our fans demand and that what our country demands."
While Lennon appears to be the lead horse in England's right midfield carousel, several other players have featured in that position over the past few months. Beckham, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Theo Walcott have all operated on the right recently for the Three Lions.
With a limited number of roster spots available, Beckham has confessed that he would understand if manager Fabio Capello leaves him home.
"If I don't end up being in the squad that goes to South Africa, that won't mean I don't support the lads and want them to win," said Beckham said before the Croatia game. "Of course, I want to be involved in every squad possible, but if I'm not selected it's because the manager feels he's got stronger players and a stronger team to go to the World Cup and I would accept that.''
Jeremy Brown, Goal.com
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section
Ever diplomatic, Beckham had nothing but glowing praise for the 22-year-old Tottenham Hotspur wing wizard and marveled at his quickness in zipping up and down the flank.
"A player with that pace, what I'd give for a little bit of that pace," said Beckham with a wry smile. "You know, just a little bit of it.
"Aaron is an exceptional player. When he's played for England in the past he's always done well. He's performing well for Tottenham and he's performed really well in training for these ten days so he's deserved his chance. He's taken his chance and he deserves it because he's not just a great lad, but what a player as well.
"Congratulations to him because he deserves it."
Beckham also discussed England's emphatic 5-1 victory over Croatia yesterday, which saw them through to the World Cup with two qualifying games to spare.
"To qualify, eight wins out of eight, and to do it at Wembley, it's always special. I'm not sure many games compare to the Germany game that we played, but this is close," he said, referring to England's 2001 World Cup qualifying 5-1 thrashing of Germany in Munich. "Especially when you play at home and you play against a difficult team and the importance of the game as well.
"But you could tell before the game that the lads were ready for it and the lads were up for the game. The expectation levels are going to be higher. Because that's what our fans demand and that what our country demands."
While Lennon appears to be the lead horse in England's right midfield carousel, several other players have featured in that position over the past few months. Beckham, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Theo Walcott have all operated on the right recently for the Three Lions.
With a limited number of roster spots available, Beckham has confessed that he would understand if manager Fabio Capello leaves him home.
"If I don't end up being in the squad that goes to South Africa, that won't mean I don't support the lads and want them to win," said Beckham said before the Croatia game. "Of course, I want to be involved in every squad possible, but if I'm not selected it's because the manager feels he's got stronger players and a stronger team to go to the World Cup and I would accept that.''
Jeremy Brown, Goal.com
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section
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