In what some may view as a triumph for spin and hype, rather than any pressing need of the England football team, David Beckham completed his prodigal return when named in manager Steve McClaren's squad for Friday's friendly against Brazil at Wembley and the Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia on June 6.

However he tries to dress up what became football's worst-kept secret, McClaren knows he cannot claim that Beckham, having played only 11 times for Real Madrid this season, is a new, improved player from the one he dropped after last summer's World Cup and he did not even try to do so, pointing only to his passion for playing for England.

Typically, for a man closer to showbiz than football, Beckham's recall does not represent a rebirth of his international career, merely a Kylie-style brief farewell tour, playing gigs only at Wembley and the A Le Coq stadium in Tallin before he disappears into the Hollywood hills.

McClaren, who faces the sack if England fail to beat Estonia, denied that bringing back Beckham was a Corporal Jones reaction, saying: "It is certainly not a panic move. After the Spain game in February, we reassessed things and looked at changing things round and David came into the reckoning. I made plans to go out and watch him with a view to bringing him in for the Israel and Andorra matches but he got a knee injury.

"I met him 10 days ago and we had a chat about the possibility of him coming back and he is still passionate about playing for his country. That's what he brings to England."

If McClaren wanted Beckham to play in the final European qualifying games next season, the former England captain may then be presented with a curious conflict of interest as his new club, Los Angeles Galaxy, have fixtures which clash with four of England's qualifying games.

While FIFA rules stipulate that Galaxy would have to release Beckham for these competitive internationals, the club would be losing their star player and most lucrative asset.

After their trip to Tallinn, England play Israel and Russia at Wembley on Sept 8 and 12 respectively. Estonia then visit on Oct 13 before the difficult trip to Russia on Oct 17. From July 1, Beckham will only be up against the best that America has to offer so it is unlikely that he will be ready for such challenging matches.

While some - including my esteemed colleague Gary Lineker - will back Beckham's recall, the question must be asked whether it is not disruptive to bring him back just for Estonia and Brazil. "Who knows?" says McClaren. "We are planning long term but are concentrating on the next 10 days and the game in Estonia. I believe David Beckham can help us win that, which is all that matters."

McClaren has not even seen Beckham play live this season, although typically for a man who is a slave to statistics, he has got his hands on the Real Madrid ProZone stats which, he claims, prove his fitness. He has also watched Beckham's games on TV or video. He says: "I have brought him back for his experience, the way he is playing, everyone knows what David brings to the game, his crossing, his passing and his attitude to the game, he has been showing all that certainly since the New Year."

It still paints McClaren as a weak man and in retrospect, makes his original decision to drop Beckham look like a PR stunt, merely wishing to demonstrate a show of strength and pretend that, unlike Sven-Goran Eriksson, he would have no favourites.

His decision to bring back Beckham, which is hardly a ringing endorsement of the players he has brought in, looks no less a PR move, possibly designed to ensure that England's first game back at Wembley is not played out to a backdrop of personal abuse, like the type he suffered during the Andorra game in March.

Is Beckham being brought back to save McClaren's skin? "No, I have brought him back to help us win a game. Opinion on these things will always be divided, some people will say it's a great decision, some people will say it is a stupid one. But with England, any decision is always tough."

The former captain desperately wants to win 100 caps but despite his recall, it seems he will only make it to 96 before taking Brand Beckham off to America.

Also in McClaren's 26-man squad are Nicky Shorey, of Reading, and Blackburn's David Bentley, selected as cover for Aaron Lennon, whose fitness is in doubt.