David Beckham returned to training with his L.A. Galaxy teammates on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his knee in August, but Coach Frank Yallop warned against the possibility of his returning to the England squad for its upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia. “He’s not even played any competitive games,” Yallop told PA Sport. “Obviously, it’s not my decision to pick [the England] team but it would be very difficult for him to be ready.”
Yallop is right to be concerned: Beckham may return to full fitness before the season ends, but it certainly won’t be this weekend against Houston. The following games against Toronto FC and New York fall on Oct. 13 and 18, respectively—right in the middle of the upcoming international break, raising the possibility that he be selected to play for England before he gets a chance to play for the Galaxy.
Even if the recovery process goes well, England coach Steve McClaren may decide not to call up the England veteran, who hasn’t played a competitive match since the SuperLiga semifinal against Pachuca on Aug. 29. Beckham, meanwhile, says he’s just happy to be back in training. “It went well but we’ll just have to see how it is, this,” he said. “I’m still restricted on many things but overall it felt great.” Yallop added that he wasn’t ready to put a timetable on his return.