Fabio Capello's first major decision as England manager should be his easiest.
He should call up his former Real Madrid star David Beckham and tell him he is an integral part of his plans.
He should tell him, given health and fitness, he will win his 100th cap against Switzerland in the friendly at Wembley next month and that he expects him to be a member of England's World Cup qualifying campaign when it begins in September.
Not on account of sentiment. Not to pander to Beckham's celebrity.
But because Beckham still has much to offer an England team and Capello in particular.
Of course there are those who believe the exact opposite. That Capello would be a fool to indulge a player whose celebrity so often has outweighed his influence.
A player whose engine has been around the clock and whose legs no longer can be relied on to fulfil the demanding duties in defence and attack of an international midfielder.
A player who plies his trade on the other side of the Atlantic for a club in Los Angeles Galaxy which might struggle to survive in the second tier of the English game.
The kindest of those critics would say let him take his final bow, after all it would help sell out Wembley, and then send him packing to 'La-la land' with thanks for a career which glowed and flickered but whose flame never quite burned phosphorus white.
Yet if Capello is canny, and that does not seem to be in doubt, he will not see Beckham as a threat or a liability as did his successor Steve McClaren when he dumped him cruelly and needlessly on taking the post.
He will view him as one of his greatest allies.
Who better than Beckham to illustrate Capello's point at his first press conference that pride and honour must be restored to the white shirt with the famous Three Lions?
No-one has expressed dedication to playing for his country in deeds and words more passionately than Beckham.
No-one has supported Capello's appointment with more knowledgeable insight than the man who was dropped by the Italian at Real Madrid and then restored after demonstrating an almost demonic will to succeed.
On a day when FIFA president Sepp Blatter again was questioning the decision of "football's motherland" to go foreign, Beckham provided a powerful counter argument.
"He (Capello) has an aura that players will enjoy," Beckham said. "They are going to enjoy playing under him. I enjoyed playing under him, even in the bad times."
Beckham went on to admire the "fear factor" which Capello infused into the superstars of Madrid to take them to the La Liga title and compared Capello's qualities with those of Sir Alex Ferguson.
"The fear factor with a manager is important," said Beckham, a relevant point considering many of Beckham's most insipid displays came under Sven Goran Eriksson, a manager who appeared dazzled by his captain's fame.
No-one is suggesting Capello should build his England side around Beckham. The inspirational displays, such as single-handedly dragging England to the World Cup with his performance against Greece in 2001, are history.
But the English young guns who promise so much, such as Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, Micah Richards, Aaron Lennon, would learn much from Beckham's presence.
There is still no better deliverer of a dead ball in world football. No better passer. No Englishman more capable of providing an inch-perfect impact from the bench.
No-one who exudes more strength of character or patriotic fervour.
Of course Beckham must prove to Capello his fitness and his ability to cope with transatlantic travel. And he must be content to play the sort of secondary role, perhaps half an hour here, 20 minutes there, to which he is not accustomed.
But once those are established Capello's decision is a no-brainer. It has to be 'Carry on Beckham.'
