Theo Walcott believes the Beckham factor can inspire England at the World Cup.

David Beckham will not be in Fabio Capello's 23-man squad for South Africa because of his Achilles injury.

But make no mistake, the ex-Three Lions skipper will still have a "fantastic" influence on England's World Cup squad, according to Walcott.

Beckham has been invited to South Africa by Fabio Capello and, while the England boss insists he will not be part of the coaching set-up, the former captain will have an important role to play.

Not just as cheerleader or banging the drum for the 2018 bid, Beckham will be around the squad trying to inspire his England team-mates.

And Arsenal winger Walcott, 21, says Beckham will still have an important role to play in the World Cup glory hunt after revealing he has been a huge inspiration for his international career.

Walcott and Beckham talk and text regularly and the 35-year-old veteran has become something of a mentor to the young pretender on the right wing.

"He has been fantastic for me, especially, but not just me, so many players," said Walcott. "He gives you that extra boost.

"If you see someone who has won so many things, it brings the best out of the players and you want to be part of that.

"Just having him around, giving you advice, can only help.

"The most important thing he says is to just enjoy it, play with no fear. And if you are young and play with no fear, the best comes.

"It's a shame his injuries mean he won't have a chance to play in a last World Cup and he is a big miss. But I hope he is going to help the players by being around and boosting our spirits."

While Capello has insisted that Beckham will not be part of the coaching set-up, he will be on the plane and Walcott says that he still regularly gets tips off his England team-mate.

Walcott has come in for some criticism for his performances this season after a domestic campaign full of injuries and frustration.

But Beckham has been his inspiration and has also helped with advice on crossing and his overall wing play.

Walcott said: "He has always told me to deliver the ball into the space and if there is no-one there, it is not your problem. You need to just put the ball in the space and someone should get on the end of it.

"That is what he has done. He is a fantastic crosser of the ball and having him there can only help."

Walcott has taken great heart from the fact he started in England's first pre-World Cup friendly, ahead of Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who are his rivals for a place on the right wing.

England have great strength in depth on the flanks, with Adam Johnson on the other side. But Walcott is hoping his ability to get forward and track back as he did against Mexico may help give him the edge in South Africa.

Walcott said: "It is a great thing having competition, especially in my position, because it gets the best out of you.

"It is a headache for the manager, a nice headache because there are fantastic options. It is looking good and you will see the best out of that four.

"The most important thing for me is to train well and if I train well, I will get the chance to play. It was a nice boost getting the chance to start in the number seven shirt [against Mexico], especially at Wembley with the tremendous support. It shows I am training quite well."

Walcott admits this season has been up and down but is hoping that he is coming good at just the right time.

Four years ago, Walcott did not get a kick after being the shock call-up for Sven Goran Eriksson's squad for Germany.

But now he believes he is ready for South Africa, having experienced the pressure last time and also gained the experience of tournament football with the Under-21s last summer.

Walcott added: "I just want to go out there and show what I can do. There have been ups and downs in my career and you are going to face that.

"You can't play well for the whole 90 minutes, or for the whole season. It is just one of those things, things go your way sometimes and sometimes they don't.

"Hopefully I will just get a chance to play this time. The disappointments of last time, I know how to reflect from that, and the pressures the lads have to deal with on and off the pitch.

"It is quite hard and demanding, not just on your body but mentally as well. I experienced playing in an Under-21 tournament last year so that will serve me well hopefully."