Is Lennon the right man?

Much has been made of Aaron Lennon’s current rich vein of form. His club manager at Tottenham, Harry Redknapp, has been full of praise for the young winger, whilst at international level, Fabio Capello preferred him to David Beckham in the recent games against Slovakia and Ukraine.

I get the impression, however, that I must be missing something. True, Lennon has a turn of pace that would frighten any left-back in the world; and, for Spurs at least, he chips in with his fair share of goals. Beyond that, though, what else is there?

His final ball into the box is only consistent in its inconsistency, whilst the ability to beat a man with a trick, instead of his pace, remains elusive. On the positive side, he is young, and will improve. However, Shaun Wright-Phillips is playing well for Manchester City , and shouldn’t be discarded.

One player sure to be cursing himself right now is David Bentley. Before his ill-fated move to White Hart Lane, he had one hand firmly planted on the coveted no. 7 shirt. Now, he struggles to make the Spurs bench. On his day, Bentley is a fantastic player, and his ability to play as a central midfielder, as well as a wide player, would make him more valuable to Capello than either of the aforementioned.

His mistake, was believing his own hype; for if he was playing regularly at Ewood Park right now, his place in South Africa next summer next summer would surely be a formality.