Martin O'Neill believes Aston Villa duo Ashley Young and Stewart Downing are capable of "playing very well indeed'' in the right-sided midfield role that is up for grabs in the England squad after David Beckham's injury blow.
David Beckham will miss the World Cup.
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James Milner already appears a strong candidate to be part of Fabio Capello's World Cup squad because of his ability to play in several positions. But O'Neill feels Young and Downing can excel on England's right wing after Beckham's Achilles injury ruled him out of the finals in South Africa.
O'Neill said: "I don't know what the England manager had in mind, whether he was going to take David Beckham or not to the World Cup. The news coming out of the England camp suggests that he was - and therefore it is a blow. He has been a very good player for quite some considerable time.
"On the other hand, as you say, if there is an opportunity there, we have one or two players who actually play and can excel in that position. That is down to the England manager.''
O'Neill added: "I said last week that, if the likes of Ashley and Gabby (Agbonlahor) and players of that ilk, still have designs left on heading to Africa, every single game they play in will be a chance for them to shine.
"I've heard that James Milner is in a great position to go, one of the reasons being he can play well in a number of positions. When you've got a couple of all-purpose players in your squad, that would suit any manager.
"As for the position wide right, there must be three or four candidates that have got a strong chance. My own view is that Ashley can play there very well indeed. Stewart Downing can play there very well indeed. I don't know what the thoughts are (of Capello) but there is still time.''
Peter Taylor believes England will miss Beckham's experience in South Africa. Taylor, now Bradford manager, made Beckham England captain while in caretaker charge of the national team.
"I think the experience of David is what we will miss,'' he said. "If they're inexperienced, there are not many squads that win tournaments. It's experienced squads that go and win things, so that's where I think we'll miss David on and off the field.
"People really respect him in that squad. He'll have been watching James Milner, Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon, and I think David will pull them to one side and help in certain areas. I think a lot of players really do look up to him. I think he will be missed - greatly, unfortunately.''
Taylor believes Beckham would have provided a valuable option from the bench, despite some critics suggesting today England's squad will not be greatly weakened by his absence.
"I disagree with quite a few people today,'' Taylor told Sky Sports News. "To me the option of David Beckham coming off the bench is a dangerous one as he showed for Milan the other day. He came off the bench against Man United (in the Champions League) and put in a couple of wonderful crosses that had goals written all over them. He's a dangerous substitute. He'd have improved our squad.''
