Beckham thinks he's out until November

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Associated Press



LONDON -- David Beckham's recovery is taking longer than expected, and he does not expect to be ready to play until November.

The update by the England midfielder on Monday means he will be gone from Major League Soccer this season unless the Los Angeles Galaxy reach the playoffs. The next time he could play for England probably would be a 2012 European Championship qualifier against Wales on March 26, 2011.

Beckham underwent surgery in March after rupturing his Achilles tendon while on loan at AC Milan. He initially had been told he would be back by September.

"I won't be running for another three months, so I will be playing again in, probably, November," Beckham said in a video posted Monday on ABC's website.

Beckham was still on crutches Monday when he went to the studios of "The View."

"My mentality is to kind of push it and get moving and running and soon as possible. But it's an injury that has to take time to heal," Beckham said in a separate TV interview. "It's frustrating. It's obviously disappointing because I've been working for the last two years to get into the English squad [for the World Cup]."

Despite the injury, Beckham is set to travel with England to the World Cup in South Africa. England opens against the United States on June 12.

"At the moment, it's just getting the motion back into the ankle, the tendon, because it's still repairing," Beckham said on the MLS website. "I'm trying to get mobilization back into the ankle."

Beckham was injured in the closing minutes of Milan's game against Chievo Verona on March 14 when he was by himself with the ball at his feet.

"It was like being hit by a hockey puck. I thought someone was behind me and kicked me," Beckham said. "Obviously no one was there and I saw my foot hanging and then I felt down there and there was a hole."

Beckham had joined Milan on loan from the Galaxy to stay in shape during the MLS offseason. He was hoping to boost his chances of becoming England's first player to appear at four World Cups.


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