Beckham strikes 'timeshare' deal in bid to realise his World Cup dream

DAVID Beckham has put himself firmly in the frame to play at his fourth World Cup finals after securing a unique 'timeshare' deal that will see him spend the bulk of the next 15 months with AC Milan.

Beckham's desire to stay at the Serie A club is such that he will fund the majority of the loan fee being paid to the Los Angeles Galaxy – thought to be £2million – out of his own pocket.

Under the agreement, Beckham will stay at Milan until the end of the season, return to the Galaxy from July to October and then rejoin the Serie A club for the rest of the campaign.

It means Beckham now has the opportunity to cement his position in Fabio Capello's England squad for the World Cup qualifiers and the finals in South Africa next year.

Capello was instrumental in Beckham going to Milan in the first place having made it clear he believed it was necessary for him to play at the highest level.

Beckham's former club manager Sir Alex Ferguson has no doubt he has done the right thing. The Manchester United manager said: "It is good for him, there is no question about that because it is the right type of football."

The deal follows weeks of negotiations between the two clubs during which Milan balked at the size of the transfer fee Galaxy were demanding – thought to be around £12million.

The only issue that has yet to be settled is Beckham's position at the end of next season – under the arrangement he will only be on loan at Milan until then.

The deal means Beckham will not have the sort of long break most players in Europe enjoy in the summer but he will have several shorter breaks instead.

He will have some time off before rejoining the Galaxy once the international transfer window opens on 15 July, and then another break before returning to Milan in November. He will also benefit from the winter break in Serie A and believes that will make him at least as fresh as any Premier League player when the World Cup comes around.

Sources have confirmed that all parties are in agreement but Milan general manager Adriano Galliani said it may be Monday before the deal is officially signed off. Galliani said: "The Galaxy and us are going back and forward with corrections to the documents but we should be there although it's not official yet. The crucial day for the signing could be tomorrow or Monday. But the important thing is that Beckham is here with us and that he is playing for Milan."

The 33-year-old has been a big hit in Milan since his arrival in Serie A in January, making nine league starts and scoring twice.

Beckham moved to the Galaxy in 2007, signing a five-year deal. He does have an escape clause in that contract which comes into effect in November, halfway through the term, but he would have to pay hefty compensation to exercise it.

The 'timeshare' agreement means he will miss at least 17 games of this year's Major League Soccer season, which has a total of 30 matches per club. His return to the US now looks set to be on 18 July at the New York Red Bulls.

Beckham has never made any secret of his desire to join Milan

and it was a stance he outlined over dinner with Ferguson a fortnight ago when the pair publicly met for the first time since the midfielder was sold by United to Real Madrid in 2003.

"I spoke to David when he came for dinner with us in Milan," said Ferguson. "He was hoping it was going to happen and he wanted it to happen. I've no doubt it's the best thing for him."

While Beckham has been granted his wish, fitness experts have warned that the gruelling two-club schedule he hopes will prolong his England career may

heighten the risk of sustaining an injury that would scupper his dreams of playing in the World Cup.

Physiologists accredited by the British Association of Sports and Exercise Sciences (BASES] said Beckham should be wary of the notion of overtraining, where a lack of uninterrupted, stress-free recovery can start a downward spiral of performance leaving athletes increasingly vulnerable to injury.

Dr Emma Ross, of the University of Brighton, said: "I think it is going to be a really big load for him to cope with physiologically and without the off-season period to regenerate and rejuvenate, he's going to eventually start to see some kind of detriment to his performance, through injury or fatigue.

"He'll definitely suffer some effects, and how bad they are and how they manifest will depend on how well he looks after himself. If he was an athlete that came to us, it is not a regime that we would recommend."

Dr Stewart Bruce-Low of Southampton Solent University said that with the effects of jet lag and ageing to worry about, Beckham will need to match his dogged determination to reach the World Cup with firm physical discipline. "He is potentially putting his body under a greater level of stress so he needs to ensure that his preparation is absolutely perfect," said Dr Bruce-Low.

"I can only hope that he has good people around him to support him at this time and give him the right advice. He needs monitoring very carefully to look for signs of overtraining."

BECKHAM FACTFILE

1975: Born Leytonstone, 2 May.

1993: Signs professional contract at Old Trafford.

1996: Helps United win the double, collecting Premier League winners' medal and FA Cup winners' medal. Scores goal of the season on the opening day at Wimbledon, lobbing goalkeeper Neil Sullivan from the halfway line.

1998: Sent off in second round penalty shoot-out defeat against Argentina.

2001: October: Curls in a 25-yard last-minute free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford to earn England a 2-2 draw and send them into the World Cup finals.

2003: 17 June: United announce they have accepted a £25million bid from Real Madrid for Beckham.

2004: 24 June: Misses penalty as England lose to Portugal in a shoot-out in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals.

2007: 11 January: Beckham announces he will leave Real Madrid and join Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy on a five-year contract in August. The deal is believed to be worth £128million over the period.

2008: 26 March: Wins 100th cap in friendly international against France.

30 October: Milan announce Beckham will join them on loan on 7 January, 2009.

2009: 4 February: After a bright start to his spell in Italy, Beckham confirms he wants to stay with AC Milan.

11 February: MLS chief Don Garber sets a deadline of 13 February for a deal to be agreed, claiming he would not approve any deal agreed after that date. However, talks continue after the deadline.

6 March: Deal understood to be agreed for Beckham to remain at AC Milan until the end of the season, then return to Los Angeles Galaxy before heading back to Milan in November.