Beckham debut hangs in balance

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

The 32-year-old is in line to make his bow against the Blues on Saturday but has been nursing left ankle ligament damage he suffered during England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia in June and subsequently aggravated as Real Madrid won the Spanish league title.

"Right now, he's day to day," Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop said. "He's not done too much the last two days. His ankle is quite swollen but we're hoping it recovers quickly and he can have some part in the game on Saturday."

The ankle swelled up during the flight from London to Los Angeles last Thursday and despite a weekend of massage and treatment, Beckham could not take a full part in Galaxy's open training session at the Home Depot Center in front of around 2,000 fans.

After jogging briefly with the squad at the start of the session, Beckham split from the main group to work individually with a trainer, doing some stretching and balance work to strengthen his ankle.

He then went through short passing drills with fellow Galaxy injury victim Chris Albright before watching on as the rest of the squad took part in a short practice match.

Saturday's friendly against Chelsea is already sold out and will be broadcast live across the United States by cable sports network ESPN, who have been strongly promoting the game with plans for using 19 cameras at the Home Depot Center, including a Beckham cam.

However Yallop insisted that there would be no pressure on Beckham to play if he was not ready.

"Obviously we want to get him on the field as quickly as we can but we don't want to put him in danger of re-injuring himself," he added.

"The injury has responded in the last few days. It was a long flight and it swelled up pretty bad and he was not as comfortable as he should have been."