LOS ANGELES // David Beckham has returned to training with the LA Galaxy and said his conflict with teammate Landon Donovan was water under the bridge. Donovan strongly criticised Beckham in excerpts of a soon to be released book The Beckham Experiment, saying he was a bad teammate and an unsuitable captain.
The former England skipper upset many in LA with his decision to extend his loan spell with AC Milan and miss the first half of the Major League Soccer season. Beckham hit back by calling Donovan "unprofessional" for airing his feelings in the media. But speaking to reporters on Monday, Beckham said he had met with Donovan and the team's coach, Bruce Arena, to clear up matters. "It's over. I'm not going to talk about what was said. That's between me, Landon and the manager, but it's finished," said the midfielder, who is expected to return to play in tomorrow's game away to the New York Red Bulls.
Donovan regained the captain's armband after the Englishman's move to Italy and will retain the post - something Beckham said he had no problem with. "Landon's a good captain. He's a captain that leads by example," he said. But Beckham was still clearly upset by the questions raised about his own stint as captain. "At the end of the day, that's something to ask all the players," he said. "I've always felt as captain I've made myself available for players and been there for the team. I've been captain for England for over 50 caps."
* Reuters