LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham is happy to act as cover for Arsenal whiz Theo Walcott in England's plans.

Beckham, responding to the competition, even looked like he had an extra yard of pace against Kazakhstan - and he helped set up a goal for Wayne Rooney.

Asked about his acceleration, Beckham smiled: "One of the lads said that to me.

"But I've definitely not worked on my pace. I've never had it, so I never had to work on it!"

Beckham has offered Walcott his advice and is also relishing having a role himself, whether it is off the bench or starting.

"That's what substitutes are for; sometimes you get the chance to create goals and create more chances," he said. "Thankfully I had that chance.

"Theo has been great and he played well again. You can see what a threat he is every time he gets the ball and runs at players.

"There is no one that can get near him. He deserves to be where he is, and I hope he carries on - because he is an exceptional talent."

Beckham felt experience was crucial against Kazakhstan after a goalless first half.

"That was the key to the win," he said.

"We always knew that it would be frustrating until we did get that first goal because the expectancy was there for us to win the game by five or six goals.

"It's what we wanted from three games - you want nine points. We got that. It's going to be a tough game during the week, but we've got this result and now we move on to that."