England coach Steve McClaren isn’t jumping on the David Beckham bandwagon with quite the enthusiasm of most other people, even if his comments after Wednesdays 3-0 win over Estonia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers were complimentary.

McClaren had axed Beckham from the England squad on taking over after the World Cup. Recalled last week against Brazil, where he set up Englands goal in a 1-1 draw, Beckham went one better against Estonia by creating two of the three strikes in a fine all-round performance.

What was intriguing in the press room at the A. Le Coq Arena was the way McClaren started his response to the obvious question about Beckhams contribution to the win.

You know it, I know it and you can see it. It seemed his first reflex was to distance the judgement from himself, and to portray his verdict as a reflection of what everyone else is thinking, although he duly went on to describe that contribution as immense.

However, he then said: David Beckham, the player, is a very very good player and deserves to be in our team.

Beckham the player. So is there a difference in McClarens mind between Beckham, the footballer, and perhaps Beckham the sport/fashion icon and VIP who dominates the England media spotlight?

McClaren was also surprisingly shy about saying anything about Beckhams future prospects with England, which have to factor in his move to a new career in California with LA Galaxy.

Its not a question for tonight. Theres still a long time between now and August when we play the first friendly of the season, he said of the game with Germany at Wembley.

Beckham has talked about playing for England for “many, many years”. Let’s see if McClaren shares that view.

Trevor Huggins, Tallinn