DAVID Beckham looks like he will be boarding the plane to the World Cup regardless of whether he is fully fit or not.

Is that a good move or a bad one? It would appear obvious, if Beckham is on his way to regaining full fitness, he is definitely a gamble worth taking.

The 26-year-old's broken bone in his foot is not expected to heal until the back end of next month - it has been predicted he will return to full training around May 22.

That date is just four days before England's final pre-tournament friendly with Cameroon and Eriksson is unlikely to risk his captain that soon after injury.

The national team coach has been boosted with the news that FIFA have ruled a replacement for Beckham can be drafted in up to 24 hours before the tournament starts on May 31.

But Eriksson has indicated he will be picking the Manchester United man if he has any chance of playing.

Beckham is a special case and, although there are cynics who believe England are becoming too dependent on one man, there would be few international managers who would overlook their prize asset ahead of a World Cup.

Take the French. If Zinedine Zidane suffered the same scenario would Roger Lemerre include the irreplaceable middle man? Most definitely.

Or maybe Brazil and Argentina. If Rivaldo or Hernan Crespo are struggling few would argue against either coach naming their stars in the 23-man squad. But gambles do not always pay-off.

In fact Brazil are the perfect case in point. Remember the 1998 World Cup finals when the Samba stars made it to the Final at the Stade de France with the tremendous skill of Ronaldo up front.

The Inter Milan star had an epileptic fit on the morning of the match but Brazil still played their main man, who was clearly dazed. Unsurprisingly France won 3-0.

But the Beckham situation is one which Eriksson can afford to take a risk.

This is not just about one game, this is about an entire tournament. If Beckham is not fit to face the Swedes on June 2 then he should be fit for the all-important Argentina clash five days later.

First problem for Eriksson, however, is who to hand the captaincy to while Beckham is absent.

And by choosing his deputy for Wednesday's clash with Paraguay, the England coach is likely to drop a massive clue as to who his first choice centre-back pairing will be in Japan and South Korea.

It is thought Arsenal's Sol Campbell and Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate are both in the frame.

And whoever Eriksson chooses then it is understood they will play alongside Leeds' Rio Ferdinand against Sweden in Saitama.

But the defensive selection problem is not Eriksson's main headache, that is Beckham.

And it is clear the midfielder is more than likely going to be heading to the Far East.