Soccer: Beckham's recovery delayed

LONDON - David Beckham's recovery from an Achilles injury is taking longer than expected, with the England midfielder saying today that he won't be fit to play again until November.

That means Beckham will not feature in Major League Soccer this season, unless the Los Angeles Galaxy reach the playoffs. The next time he is likely to be ready to play for England would be the 2012 European Championship qualifier against Wales on March 26, 2011.

Beckham underwent surgery in March after rupturing a tendon while on loan at AC Milan. He had initially been told he would be back in action 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 on the website of US TV network ABC.

Beckham was still on crutches when he went to the studios of ABC.

"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 still set to travel with England to the World Cup in South Africa. England opens its campaign against 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 mobilisation back into the ankle."

Beckham was injured near the end of Milan's match against Chievo Verona on March 14 when he was by himself on the pitch 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 from the Galaxy to stay in shape during the MLS offseason and boost his chances of becoming England's first player to appear at four World Cups.

He has played 115 internationals - the most for an England outfield player and only second in the country's history behind goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125 matches from 1970-90.

- AP