David Beckham back in MLS action after long layoff

Sep 12, 2010, 9:48 GMT

Washington - David Beckham returned to action from a ruptured Achilles tendon on Saturday, playing the final 20 minutes as a substitute for his United States club Los Angeles Galaxy.

The former England captain Beckham came on for Juninho amid a big cheer from the fans in the 3-1 victory over the Columbus Crew.

'Twenty minutes out there on the field, I'm happy with that,' said Beckham.

Beckham, 35, was playing his first match since rupturing the left Achilles tendon almost six months ago while playing on loan at AC Milan. The injury denied him a fourth World Cup participation as he had to undergo a long rehabilitation programme.

'I've never been out of the game for such a long time, and to get back out there in just under six months was a quick recovery. I am happy that,' he said.

However, Beckham, who saw a yellow card just four minutes into his comeback for a foul on Emmanuel Ekpo, admitted that he still needs to work on his fitness.

'I thought I could have played 90 minutes tonight, but after 10 minutes being on the field I felt like I was dying,' he said. 'I think at the end of the day I still have to take my time being eased into games.'

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena was happy to have his star back in the lineup of the Western Conference leaders.

'It's kind of remarkable that he's back on the field in such a short period of time. To put the kind of effort in to come back at his age is inspiring for our players to see. By the end of the season, we want him playing 90 minutes,' said Arena.

Beckham said that he and Arena slightly differed in their view about his first playing time when the coach approached him halfway through the second half.

'He came up to me, and he said, 'How about 10, 15 minutes? We want to get a good 10, 15 minutes,' I said, 'Well, how about 20, 25?' He kind of listened to me and we kind of met in the middle,' said Beckham.