Rather like Andre Agassi, who teased the Wimbledon crowd on his first appearance at the All England Club by leaving his tracksuit on until the very last moment before unveiling a stunning all-white outfit, the lenses lingered on Beckham for the very first glimpse, even though he was sat on the bench.

Instead it was the 11 who started that were the first to show off the new design, Beckham's introduction at half-time merely allowing him to eclipse the record of the man whose image the shirt itself is supposed to encompass, World Cup-winning skipper Bobby Moore.

Beckham has had two attempts at emulating the defining moment of Moore's career, when he held aloft the Jules Rimet Trophy.

Now he is once again cast in the role of foot soldier, just as he was at France '98 at the very start of his amazing journey to superstardom.

In the 45 minutes Beckham was on the field in yesterday's handsome 4-0 win over Slovakia, he showed why Fabio Capello views him as such a key member of his squad.

He may no longer be a starter - Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon must scrap it out for that role on the right - but as an impact substitute, he is perfect, his set piece delivery still far more reliable than any of his younger team-mates.

"He played like David Beckham," shrugged Capello when asked to sum up the 33-year-old's cameo. "It was just a normal performance."

By that Capello meant the cross Beckham dropped onto Wayne Rooney's head for the first of a brace for the Manchester United man, part of an impressive run of seven goals in four games, was simply routine.

As was the viciously curling free-kick Peter Crouch would have guided in to claim a goal if an offside John Terry had not enthusiastically rushed in to prod it home.

Those two instances, plus a succession of corners delivered with the trademark accuracy Frank Lampard had not been able to manage as Beckham had watched on earlier, emphasise why Capello was so keen for him to remain with AC Milan and why, fitness and form permitting, a place will be found for the player he famously jettisoned at Real Madrid, should England go on to reach next year's World Cup.

Indeed, Capello's entire grand plan is taking shape nicely.

The smooth flow of interchange between Rooney, who richly deserved his man-of-the-match award, and Steven Gerrard, who started on the left but roams around at will, has rendered further discussion over their respective positions meaningless.

Gareth Barry and Lampard, who scored his first goal under the new boss, are established as a central midfield pair, with Michael Carrick supplying the cover. And while Terry and Rio Ferdinand are recognised as Capello's first choice pairing at the heart of England's defence, it is worth remembering Matthew Upson has now started four of England's last five games.

The performances of Glen Johnson warrant a mention too.

What once seemed set to be a career of unfulfilled promise is now becoming something more tangible, so much so, Wes Brown and Gary Neville could no longer be assured of selection even if the Manchester United duo were ever fit.

And the speed with which Capello dismissed the prospect of calling up either Kevin Davies or Michael Owen as replacement for the injured Carlton Cole and instead went for Tottenham's Darren Bent confirms a desire for continuity in selection seldom previously attainable for any England manager. All that as well as Emile Heskey's first goal since 2003.

True, there are improvements to be made and Slovakia had rather too much possession at times. But the defeat in Spain last month emphasised Capello's England are still a work in progress and it may be another 12 months before the coach can stand back and take satisfaction from his efforts.

In the meantime, Capello's side must roll their sleeves up for what is expected to be the pivotal game of the campaign.

With away wins over Croatia and Belarus already secured, qualification will come tantalisingly close if England extend a record run of four straight World Cup qualifying wins by beating Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday.

Too much has gone wrong before for anything to be taken for granted.

But with matches against Kazakhstan and Andorra to come in June, England might be dusting down their passports a year early.