Lalas raises fears over Beckham´s Galaxy future

Former US international defender Alexi Lalas said he would not be surprised if David Beckham did not to return to his club Los Angeles Galaxy after his loan with AC Milan.

Beckham recently moved to Milan on a short-term loan deal and could make his Serie A debut against AS Roma this weekend. He is due to return to LA Galaxy in March.

However Lalas, the former general manager of MLS side Galaxy, believes Beckham’s stint at star-studded Milan could alter the way he feels about returning to the US, where he signed a five-year deal with Galaxy in 2007.

“If I was still at the Galaxy, yes, I’d fear it,” Lalas told BBC Radio Five Live.

“He has to do what he feels is appropriate for his career.”

He added: “I think he wants to do well with the Galaxy but you only have one career.

“The experience he’s going to have at Milan will benefit him individually, how much it benefits the Galaxy and the people that are ultimately paying the majority of his wages remains to be seen.

“He’s back in his comfort zone at AC Milan, playing with one of the biggest clubs in the world, with a tremendous amount of talent around him, with incredible money out there on the field so it must be, in a weird way for him, a relief to get out there.”

Beckham made his Milan debut in midweek when he played the first half of a friendly in Dubai against German side Hamburg.

That was the first in a potential series of performances that Beckham hopes will convince England coach Fabio Capello that he is worthy of an England shirt.

Capello said last year that inactivity during the MLS off-season would result in his likely omission from the next squad.

Lalas said that whether Beckham returns to the USA or not will not change the ambitions of Galaxy.

“Any manager, to a certain extent, wants David Beckham on their team but I also think David Beckham is not bigger than the Galaxy, nor is he bigger than Major League Soccer,” said Lalas, who once played for Padova in Serie A.

“The Galaxy will go on and do tremendous things, as will Major League Soccer, well beyond David Beckham’s time.

“The Galaxy will survive without David Beckham, whether that is three years from now or three months from now. Either way, they will survive.

“I hope he comes back rejuvenated, but I also hope it doesn’t catch up with him in the middle of the season if he does come back to MLS, that’s a danger and that’s something I’d be wary of.”