LA veteran Cobi warns Beckham that star power will not dazzle Galaxy team-mates

They have been left in the shade since he agreed a lucrative deal to leave Real Madrid to play in the MLS in January and veteran Cobi Jones warned the midfielder he will not be the most important player in the league.

His imminent arrival has dominated talk within the sport in the US and Beckham will get his first chance to meet his new team-mates on Thursday, when he is due to fly in, before being presented to the public at a press conference on Friday. TV sports channel ESPN is planning five hours of coverage for his expected debut in a pre-season tournament against Chelsea on 21 July.

The rejuvenated England international will earn more than 50 times the average salary in Major League Soccer, with an annual basic wage of £2.75million, and has potential yearly add-ons of £23m which could cause tension.

But Jones, 37, who has been with Los Angeles' side for the 12 years the league has existed, insisted the Galaxy players would treat Beckham the same as anyone else.

He said: "We will have to see if the atmosphere changes dramatically.

"It is just another player coming into the team and that is the way we have to look at it. Obviously, we know all about Beckham on and off the field but when it comes down to it he is just a player joining the side.

"We are not in awe of him, we look at him as a team-mate coming in to help build a championship side and something bigger."

MLS officials changed the salary rules to accommodate Beckham's deal and are hoping his presence will help raise the sport's profile here dramatically.

The Galaxy are launching a new kit with a change of colours and crest to coincide with his arrival and general manager Alexi Lalas has said he wants players who can live with the club's raised expectations.

But Jones cautioned against focusing all the attention on the former Manchester United player. He said: "Changing the kit and the colours feels to me, someone who has been here from day one, a little bit like the end of an era.

"I hope you don't build an organisation off one player, because players come and go. This club have created a tradition and history on their own and anything else which comes should be part of the bigger picture. It's fine to bring in big name stars but for any league the base of players is what makes it.

"You cannot just have a Beckham and no one else. This league has been about a solid base from the beginning and I am sure it will continue.

"You have to build from the bottom up. You can always bring in big stars, which is great, but you cannot forget about everything else."

Lalas has high hopes of the Beckham-effect but insists there will be nothing Hollywood about the way he will work for his new employers.

He said: "We want him to play individually and we want him to help the team play. Obviously with his experience and ability he will be a huge part of our success.

"From day one it has been about soccer: he wants to win championships, he wants to help not just the Galaxy but the sport."

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