DAVID BECKHAM remains committed to the Los Angeles Galaxy and determined to make his mark in his second stint in Major League Soccer despite being subjected to fierce abuse from a vocal section of the club’s supporters during yesterday morning’s friendly against Milan.
One fan particularly enraged Beckham – it is understood he verbally abused the player’s family – prompting the former England captain to approach the LA Riot Squad, the club’s hardcore support, at half-time and try to engage the fan in conversation.
The midfielder appeared about to jump over a barrier as the fan ran to the front of the stand, but security staff ushered the player away.
“One of the guys was saying things that really wasn’t very nice,” said Beckham after the 2-2 draw with the club he had joined on loan last December. “It was stepping over the line. I said: ‘You need to calm down and shake my hand’, and he jumped over.”
He denied he ever considered vaulting the barrier to confront the fan, who was arrested for “trespassing”.
Beckham had anticipated some disquiet having extended his loan spell at the San Siro, thereby missing the first half of the current MLS season. Home fans at last Friday’s league game at New York Red Bulls booed him, though the midfielder was encouraged that the majority of fans at the Home Depot Center were more gracious upon his second-half substitution against Milan.
The abuse and various banners – one of which said “Go Home Fraud” – were largely limited to the section frequented by the LA Riot Squad, whom he made a point of applauding on leaving the pitch.
The 34-year-old intends to play the rest of the US season before exploring a possible return to Milan in December – a critical move if he is to continue to represent his country before next year’s World Cup finals.
That will do little to convince the doubters at Galaxy, though he remains certain he can win over the dissenting voices.
Meanwhile, Beckham’s former boss Alex Ferguson last night revealed that he plans to use Michael Owen as little as every 10 days as he confirmed he was looking to employ the striker as an impact player at Manchester United.
Owen has begun his United career as well as he could have expected, scoring twice in two games during the champions’ tour of Asia, the second coming in yesterday’s 2-0 win here over a Malaysia XI. But Ferguson indicated he saw him as support to the strike pairing of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.
“We can carry Michael Owen. I won’t ask him to play every four days, I might ask him to play every 10 days,” the manager said. “We can do it because I always rotate my squad.”
Ferguson hopes Owen might have the same influence as Henrik Larsson did in the early months of 2007, when he was brought on loan from Helsingborg. The Swede was not a regular starter, but was pivotal in United’s wresting back of the title after four barren years.
“They are similar players in terms of movement in the last third,” said Ferguson. “Larsson was always on the move. That is a great asset to have and they don’t try anything different. Larsson never did and nor does Owen. The ball comes into the penalty box and he is always there.
“It’s worth the risk. Sometimes you have a punt, a bet or a gamble, but there is a little bit more to him than that, having spoken to one or two players about Owen. I first tried to sign him when he was 12, so we have been waiting for this.”
Like most at Old Trafford, Ferguson accepted that sooner or later Cristiano Ronaldo, whose shirt Owen now wears, would go to Real Madrid, but he holds out the wistful prospect that the winger might end his career at United.
“He could have gone to Real Madrid or Barcelona as a boy, but he came to the right club and he appreciates that. And he may come back, you never know.”
GuardianService
