OMEN
01-29-2009, 10:15 PM
David Beckham's chances of continuing his impressive form for AC Milan in Sunday's Serie A visit to Lazio are in doubt because of a leg muscle strain.
The England midfielder was substituted in the 71st minute of Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Genoa after scoring a first-half freekick to notch his second goal in as many games.
'He came off because of a muscle strain,' coach Carlo Ancelotti was quoted as saying by Thursday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
'We'll assess (the situation) in the next few days, but it does not seem serious.'
The 33-year-old joined Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy for two months in a bid to stay in contention for England selection during the US close season.
But his assured showings in four starts so far have led to a growing clamour for him to stay permanently and the player admitted he was torn about whether to return to the US in an interview published on Wednesday.
If Beckham does not recover in time then Ronaldinho could return to the starting lineup as third-placed Milan seek to regain ground on Inter Milan after dropping eight points behind the leaders.
Ancelotti tried fielding Ronaldinho and Beckham together on the Englishman's league debut, a 2-2 draw at Roma, in a highly offensive lineup that also included Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo and fellow Brazilians Kaka and Alexandre Pato.
RTE
The England midfielder was substituted in the 71st minute of Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Genoa after scoring a first-half freekick to notch his second goal in as many games.
'He came off because of a muscle strain,' coach Carlo Ancelotti was quoted as saying by Thursday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
'We'll assess (the situation) in the next few days, but it does not seem serious.'
The 33-year-old joined Milan on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy for two months in a bid to stay in contention for England selection during the US close season.
But his assured showings in four starts so far have led to a growing clamour for him to stay permanently and the player admitted he was torn about whether to return to the US in an interview published on Wednesday.
If Beckham does not recover in time then Ronaldinho could return to the starting lineup as third-placed Milan seek to regain ground on Inter Milan after dropping eight points behind the leaders.
Ancelotti tried fielding Ronaldinho and Beckham together on the Englishman's league debut, a 2-2 draw at Roma, in a highly offensive lineup that also included Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo and fellow Brazilians Kaka and Alexandre Pato.
RTE