FORGET Peter Crouch for England in the World Cup. If Sven Goran Eriksson wants a genuine alternative to the players he already has up front then he should be considering taking James Beattie to Germany instead this summer.

In my opinion, James has far more to offer us than Crouch and if he stays injury free between now and the end of the season then he should be a certainty on the plane.

If you look at the strikers we've already got, they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

Michael Owen is an out-and-out goalscorer and our man for the big occasion, but outside the 18-yard box he hardly sets the world on fire.

Wayne Rooney, on the other hand, is the total opposite because he loves to drop deep, run at people, and get involved in all the build-up play.

Then you've got players like James, who can dominate defenders with their sheer physical presence.

When you need to mix things up in the last half hour of games, he's a great option to have on the bench as a back-up plan.

I know people talk about Crouch doing a similar job, but I firmly believe James is far more effective when he plays that role.

Aside from those two, there are very few strikers in England who can give us that different alternative.

Emile Heskey used to be a decent option up front, but his career seems to have gone down the pan since he moved to Birmingham.

Who do we have then who's better than Beattie at playing that role?

Knowing Sven as we do, it's highly unlikely he'll stick his neck out and take a gamble on James now, even if he ends up scoring another 10 goals between now and the end of the season.

But he may just live to regret that decision in five months' time!