England World Cup Roster: Emile Heskey In, Theo Walcott and Darren Bent Out

Less than a day old, the finalized 23-man roster of England's national team already has some Brits steaming over manager Fabio Capello's choices at striker and winger.

Sure, Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe were no-brainers, and Peter Crouch was basically a lock, but what about the others?

That's where the controversy lies.

Capello's decision to include Aston Villa bench-warmer Emile Heskey over those such as Arsenal's 21-year-old prodigy, Theo Walcott, and Sunderland's goal-scoring machine, Darren Bent, is at the epicenter of a fiery debate surrounding the Three Lions' World Cup squad.

So why did Capello include the 32-year-old Heskey, who notched a paltry three goals and two assists in 31 English Premier League appearances for Villa this past season?

One reason is Heskey employs a different style of play compared to other strikers. He is tall, built and a force to be reckoned with in the box.

Heskey's ability to hold the ball well and involve other players in the attack are common explanations as to why the Leicester native earns a place among England's elite.

Another is that England's golden boy, Rooney, said that he prefers to work with Heskey up top, and the pairing presents the best opportunity for the team to bring World Cup glory to their homeland.

But Heskey's abominable seven goals in 57 games for the national team is a huge reason why some believe Capello made a big mistake in keeping him on the roster.

With England having little firepower beyond Rooney, they need strikers who can put the ball in the back of the net.

And Heskey does not do that.

So who should be in the husky forward's spot?

Easily, the answer is Darren Bent. Bent had an outstanding season for Sunderland, scoring a remarkable 24 goals—good for third behind Didier Drogba and Rooney among all EPL players.

The fact that the Cambridge local was left off the squad despite such a year boggles the mind, especially when compared to Heskey's abysmal performance.

And then there is Walcott.

The young Gunner famously made the 2006 World Cup roster at 17-years-old but didn't see a minute of playing time.

His inexperience, combined with an injury-plagued and disappointing season at Arsenal, did nothing to help his case to make the team.

Rather, Capello decided to go the more experienced route and included Chelsea's Joe Cole and Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips over Walcott, too.

Some saw Walcott's blazing speed and tactical finishing as key components for the squad, but the Gunner doesn't have the versatility of playing on the outside like Cole and Wright-Phillips do.

Thus, Walcott's international impact must wait to be seen another day.

The weight of Capello's choices will not be felt until mid-to-late June, so his decisions can't be written off just yet. But if the likes of Heskey and Wright-Phillips don't perform in South Africa, the finger will be pointed at him, and the English faithful will be left wondering what could have been.

Or Bent.