Heskey in, Walcott and Bent out. Capello makes his England selection

YOU need to go no further than this to break out in an anxiety rash after England named their World Cup 23 in London today: Emile Heskey IN, Theo Walcott OUT.

Fabio Capello, who lands with his men in Johannesburg on Thursday, made the remarkable decision to axe Arsenal’s lightning-fast winger Walcott along with Sunderland’s free-scoring Darren Bent (behind Heskey in the picture above), Manchester City winger Adam Johnson, Everton full-back Leighton Baines, West Ham’s finest Scott Parker and Spurs pair Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson.

He did find room for unsettled pair Shaun Wright-Phillips of Manchester City and Chelsea’s Joe Cole.

Gareth Barry is on the plane despite a troublesome ankle injury while Ledley King is in despite recurrent knee problems. Both are expected to miss games during the campaign.

West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green, included in the 23, said: “It’s great for Gareth Barry (almost certainly out of the opening game against the USA on June 12) but it’s a difficult choice to make. The manager had a tough task.” Capello himself was not available for comment... he may not be available until the side arrives in Rustenburg on Thursday.

Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick when England last won the World Cup way back in 1966, said: “We’ve got seven games, we have a good squad, a strong management, the spirit is terrific. We’ve qualified well. We’re quite capable. I’ll be quite disappointed if we don’t get to the semi-finals.”

Walcott is quoted as saying: “I respect the decision of Fabio Capello but I am very disappointed.”

My video from Polokwane last night is one of YouTube’s most popular of the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzwzNhaeTM

England's 23-man World Cup squad:

Keepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.

Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Strikers: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney.

Beckham must go... and so say all of us

THE football-speaking world will forever remember March 15 as Becksout Day. And this morning, the Achilles tendon expert Dr Sakari Orava, explains from the now-famous Mehilainen clinic in the Finnish town of Turku: "David Beckham will be able to walk with the help of crutches this afternoon. The operation was done, it went well but it will take many months for him to recover."

According to the counter on FIFA.com, the World Cup is now 86 days and a few hours away. Just not enough time for Becks, who has walked on water occasionally over the last 25 years, to recover in time for that record-breaking fourth World Cup tournament.

Instead, he must languish on three with the great Peter Shilton and the late Bobby Moore. And, barring miracles, he will also remain stuck on 115 England caps, ten short of Shilts.

Ironic that a Finnish bloke should announce Beckham's career is finished. There were screaming fans and paparazzi to go with the pre-op preparations in Helsinki yesterday, but then everything Beckham has done is accompanied by such scenes.

By now we've all seen the last on-field scenes from the San Siro on Sunday night. Milan are 1-0 up against Chieva, Becks goes to kick the ball, his left leg won't move. He hesitates, looking confused. Then tries again. Collapses. Shouts: "It's broken, it's broken."

Awful moments. But, and this is my point, far better it should end like that, four days after a standing ovation at Old Trafford, than he should struggle on at 34 trying to impress England boss Fabio Capello.

The Generalissimo is not a sentimental chap. He would have been hard-pressed to include Beckham in his 30-man squad on May 11. And with Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips, James Milner, Aaron Lennon and Joe Cole all clamouring for the wide-right berth, it would have been impossible to keep him in when the squad is reduced to 23 on June 1.

Everyone knew that after the friendly against Egypt a fortnight ago. Walcott went off for SWP and the game turned around while Becks sat gloomily on the bench. International career over. The very best he could have expected from his record-breaking fourth World Cup would have been the occasional shot of him sitting on the bench in that huge Kalabash of a stadium at Soccer City on July 11 while his young team-mates celebrate ending 44 years of stiff-upper lipped hurt.

But everyone was in denial yesterday, ignoring the evidence of the 3-1 friendly win over African champions Egypt. Sky News, Sky Sports News, the newspapers... even Adrian and Darren Gough at talkSPORT when I spoke to them. All insisted Becks would have been a glorious impact sub for England. An impact sub? At 34? Beckham doesn’t waltz past players like SWP. He doesn’t have the raw pace of Walcott, the engine of Milner. He’s a crosser, a deadball expert, a leader, a talisman.

For Beckham, it was always a starting place or not at all. And, secretly, Capello must be breathing a sigh of relief that he won’t have to make that awful decision on May 11 or June 1. Had he dropped Becks, the world would have savaged the Italian for his heartless axe.

Now we can remember Becks for what he was. The boy who scored from the halfway line against Wimbledon in 1996, who became a man in the aftermath of the red card against Argentina in 1998, who joined Real Madrid and helped them to the title in 2004, who led a new American revolution with LA Galaxy and faded from the scene with dignity on loan at Milan.

Today a “source close to the family” tells The Sun: “This is probably the lowest point he has ever encountered in his professional career. Words cannot express how devastated David is.

"Mentally this is disastrous. He thinks he's being punished for something he must have done wrong in life, which of course is ridiculous."

As wife Victoria turns up to comfort her man, the source adds: “David has been crying and is in deep shock.

"Football is his life and he feels like it has been unfairly taken away from him. He's just so low.”

Yes, he must be low. But in time he will realise fate has dealt him a hand which he can cope with, even thrive on. And as I said to the Sky News crew here at home in Chalfont St Giles on Sunday night, the perfect conclusion is this: Capello invites Beckham to join the squad on June 1. To add his expertise, his statesmanship to the mix.

I received twitters and Facebook messages from all over the world yesterday saying: “Beckham must be at the World Cup.” In South Africa, I told 702 radio listeners: “Don’t worry, David Beckham will be there. He will still be our figurehead.”

No, he won’t be there as a player, but he should go as football’s celebrity talisman. It would ease the pressure on Capello and the players, particularly Wayne Rooney, our spearhead.

On the field, Beckham’s departure was sadly inevitable. Off the field, he can remain a vital ingredient.

And we haven’t even talked about the 2018 World Cup yet, when he will be Capello’s right hand man as they attempted to make it a global hat-trick. We can dream, can’t we?

Now let’s move on. Jose Mourinho and InterMilan are at Chelsea tonight in the Champions League. Should be a special occasion.

Why David Beckham must go to the World Cup, even if he's crocked

DAVID BECKHAM must go to the World Cup. Sure, he won't go as a player after rupturing his achilles tendon late in Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo last night.

But if Fabio Capello is the man I think he is, the England coach will ask Beckham to travel with the England squad - hopefully he'll make his request by mobile phone just before Becks is whisked off for his operation in Finland today.

Beckham, pictured arriving at the hospital this afternoon, says he "hopes to make a full recovery" but surely his international career is over. But only as a player. What about his knowledge, his experience? Invaluable to this England side seeking to end 44 years of hurt, spearheaded by Wayne Rooney, who scored two more goals in a fabulous season for Manchester United against Fulham yesterday.Beckham is our talisman, our statesman.

According to the doctors (and we've had plenty of them on various television stations today) rehabilitation will take "five to eight months"... but the action kicks off in South Africa in 86 days. It was heart-rending to watch what might be his last moments as a professional footballer. Nobody was near him at the San Siro when he pulled up and collapsed to his knees, apparently yelling "it's broken, it's broken".

It's a sad end to a great career. A record-breaking career. It ended in tears and on crutches, grown men crying and kissing his cheeks as he left the San Siro last night.

He goes with 115 caps, just 10 short of Peter Shilton's mark, the most capped outfield player in history. Nobody else has scored in three successive World Cups. Nobody else has quite dominated the game like he has since that first high profile moment, the 1996 goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon.The thing is of course, his time had come. This injury presents Capello with a way out of a serious conundrum. I said last week Gary Neville and Sol Campbell, both 35, were more necessary than Beckham, 34, in the current set-up.

But to leave Beckham - aiming to become the first Englishman to play in four Worldd Cups - out of his provisional 30-man squad named on May 11 would have put Capello under huge pressure.

And the chances of Beckham making the final 23 on June 1 were minimal. When Sky News sent a camera crew around last night (a little before midnight) they were a bit surprised when I said I didn't expect Beckham's absence to have any impact at all on Capello's World Cup plans.

In the 3-1 win against Egypt in their last pre-squad-announcement friendly a fortnight ago, Capello started with the pace of Theo Walcott and moved to the trickery of Shaun Wright-Phillips down the right. Becks stayed firmly on the bench.

Then there's Aaron Lennon, struggling to recover from groin problems, and the impressive James Milner, not to mention Joe Cole. Beckham was way down the pecking order. Better he finishes now, with the cheers of Old Trafford last week ringing in his ears, than as a sad, unused sub when England go to South Africa.

That is not to suggest Beckham wasn't a great player. One of England's top five of all time. But on the pitch, his time had come. As an ambassador, he still has plenty left to offer. Let's hope Fabio remembers that.

Arsenal must rewrite 31 years of history - time for a Theology lesson for Chris Twaddle

FRANK STAPLETON is 53. He hasn't played football professionally for 15 years. So he must have choked over his cornflakes when he saw a picture of himself in today's papers, in action for Arsenal against Hajduk Split in 1978, 11 years before Theo Walcott (above) was born.
But of course there's a good reason for that Frank. It illustrates the last time Arsenal survived a European tie after losing a first leg away from home.
And tonight, as they try to repair a mostly self-inflicted 2-1 defeat at Porto two weeks ago, they have to manage it having accepted Cesc Fabregas's hamstring has forced him out for the second time this season.
Oh, and there's no William Gallas (Arsene Wenger accepts responsibility for that, saying he made the Frenchman train too hard), Robin van Persie, Aaron Ramsey... need I go on?
Wenger today gave a smiley press conference, saying: "We have good confidence. We are in a good position. Let's just go for it. There's always something new in our game and er... that's why we can change history. We have a good opportunity. This side has a good chance to make history."
Let's hope so - in all they've won just 3 out of 12 after losing the first leg in Europe. And perhaps more worrying than all those injuries is the fact that Nicklas Bendtner looks like he'll be playing up front again tonight. I counted five misses against Burnley on Saturday. The Sun does a lovely photo strip of Wenger choosing a wall dummy instead of the Great Dane on page 54 today. Harsh but fair.
Wenger accepts: "It is true at the start of the season you would want Gallas, Fabregas and Van Persie to be the spine of the team. Without them we can show we are still strong enough."
If he does it, Wenger will have restored his reputation quite thoroughly after the disastrous defeats against Manchester United and Chelsea barely a month ago.
In that short time, he has put Arsenal back in contention in the Premier League and, hopefully, the last eight in Europe once more.
Porto have lost their last six games in London and Arsenal beat them 4-0 at the Emirates last season, so victory is not out of the question. But on the 24 occasions Porto have led after a home leg, they have always progressed.
Some point to Porto's recent form - a 3-0 defeat against Sporting Lisbon and a 2-2 draw at home to Olhanense, but they've apparently been resting players to prepare for tonight.
Key to Arsenal's progress will be Theo Walcott, lambasted for his "brainless" performance against Egypt for England last week but looking a lot more assured as he scored and made three for Bendtner (who failed to convert them) against Burnley over the weekend.
Walcott says today: "I remember losing in a youth cup final with Southampton, I've lost the Under 21 final, lost the Carling Cup.
"I've got plenty of experience of the pain of losing. It makes you stronger for next time. And it would be nice if that next time was this year."
Former England winger Chris Waddle, who claimed live on radio at Wembley that Walcott "hasn't got a football brain" continues his attack today. He tells us how hard he worked on his weaknesses as a player to win 62 caps and insists Theo shouldn't go to the World Cup.
But I'll tell you younger readers something. There were times when Waddle, a gifted player, looked like he had no brain at all. He was an infuriating winger, the Berbatov of his time. Lazy, shoulders rounded, incapable of raising his game when it matters. And we won't mentioned the missed penalty.
If ever there was a time for Walcott to prove the critics wrong - and secure his flight to South Africa - it's tonight. And remember Gooners, no matter how bad things get at the Emirates, it can't be as bad as Liverpool were in their 1-0 defeat against Wigan last night.
Tomorrow: Manchester United welcome back Milan and Sir Alex Ferguson says: "Please God, don't let them ask about Beckham again."

Perhaps, Arsene, you should try buying a striker before the Chelsea game. Manchester United might appreciate it.

NEXT time Arsenal play Manchester United, it might be a good idea to use a striker. And find a better midfielder than Denilson. There are several in my local Sunday League.

The Gunners' 3-1 defeat at the Emirates, their first in the League to Sir Alex Ferguson's men at their new ground, was even worse than Andy Murray's straight sets defeat against Roger Federer in the Australian Open this morning.

At least Murray showed a bit of spirit, a bit of fight. Arsenal, like Murray, will no doubt be hoping they have a bit of youth on their side, and consoling themselves that Gooners have suffered five years of trophyless hurt rather than the 74 years Britain has waited for a tennis Grand Slam.

In truth, though Murray wept following his defeat, the future is bright for the young Scotsman. For Arsenal, they've got Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next.

And what have they done so far in the transfer window? Persuaded Sol Campbell to return, so he can attract any possible new investors in his veteran talents. Is that really all they can afford? Do you think that's good enough for all those season ticket holders paying thousands to see their side humiliated by United?

Wenger, ever the spendthrift, sold Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City amid veiled threats to buy a new striker. But even with Robin van Persie injured and Eduardo struggling to recover his form after that awful ankle injury last season, he has done nothing. Scrooge sits over his candle every night counting the gold pieces while the silverware slips away.

Today we had Nicklas Bendtner coming on when the pint-sized Andrie Arshavin had been muscled out of it again and again. Oh, and Theo Walcott. The pace of a greyhound, the touch of poodle.

In the end, William Gallas, one of the few with real spirit, was up front trying to get another goal back. And he very nearly did. Shows what a positive attitude might have achieved today.

Thank God Cameroon didn't stay to the end of the African Nations Cup in Angola. Without Alex Song, Arsenal would have been over-run.

As it was, that uniquely awful midfield trio of Denilson, Amir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky contrived to produce absolutely nothing between them.

When Wayne Rooney broke away to score his goal, Denilson saw him coming and just let him run past. Glorious. Elsewhere, things are little better. Spanish beachboy Manuel Almunia managed to turn Nani's cross into his own net, but only after the Portuguese under-achiever had been given a real confidence boost by the fumbling - and lack of pace - of the once-competent Gael Clichy.

Cesc Fabregas did little and looked like he was dreaming of Barcelona, Arshavin had no chance on his own, Gallas and Tomas Vermaelen - who will claim the deflected Arsenal consolation - might be worth a place in a top three Premier League club. Song was the Top Gun. Those five aside, the rest could be replaced by decent, British-born Conference players. At least they'd give a damn. At least they'd put in a tackle. At least they'd give it some for their £60,000-a-week.

Forget Nasri, Rosicky, Clichy, Sagna and particularly Denilson. These men will never win a Premier League title, as they will prove once more against Chelsea next week. Wenger has just over 24 hours to sign a decent striker. He should be thinking about a couple of midfielders too, though why he didn't try Aaron Ramsay and let Luke Wilshere go to Bolton on loan, who knows?

Couldn't we get David Bentley back, Arsene? Or one of the other many young Englishmen you sucked the life out of before replacing them with lacklustre foreigners?

Sure, third place looms again. And perhaps a Champions League quarter-final, if we're lucky.

But having seen Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Mathieu Flamini, Thierry Henry, Gilberto Silva, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure go, Sol Campbell doesn't quite cut it as a sole replacement.

Wenger said afterwards: "We were poor defensively. We were punished. We made massive individual mistakes. It's a disappointment for us. We were poor, we know we can do much better for that. Give us some time to analyse that.

"It's our job not to feel sorry for ourselves. When you're completely off the mark, it's difficult."

He avoided the question when asked if Chelsea was now a must-win. And when Sky asked him if he was planning a late swoop in the January transfer window, it was a straightforward: "No."

The agony. You're a great manager Wenger, but a stubborn cuss. Spend some money. Find us a striker and a goalkeeper. And get rid of Denilson. The fans have spoken.

Sir Alex? He was understandably happy with a stroll against the Gunners. And he grinned: "We'd like them to go and hammer Chelsea at the Bridge."

But he knows it won't happen. It's a two-horse race. Again.