David Beckham Returns to Practice in US, Tabloids in England

Galaxy midfielder David Beckham returned to the practice pitch in Los Angeles on Wednesday, thousands of miles away from his native England, where the very mention of his name is causing a bit of a public stir these days.

On the heels of the news that Beckham's recovery from a serious achilles Achilles tear almost five months ago was successful enough for him to resume training with his MLS teammates came word from England that national coach Fabio Capello announced on TV that Beckham was too old to ever take the pitch for the English national side again.

Naturally, the news of Beckham's national-side ouster -- compounded by the fact that Capello didn't deliver the news to Beckham directly first -- caused a bit of an uproar from across the pond, where Beckham is still a revered player. The Daily Mirror called Capello "Dumb and Dumber," while the Telegraph dubbed the situation "Another Fine Mess."

Yet while Capello's words might seem to sound the death knell for the 35-year-old Beckham -- and chances are Becks may very well be too old to ever earn a cap for the Three Lions again -- there's a very real possibility that Capello might not hold his job long enough to see his decision through. Despite very lofty expectations, England struggled in the 2010 World Cup, finishing second to the U.S. in group play before being eliminated by Germany in the Round of 16. Many have been calling for Capello's ouster due to this result alone, but throw his clumsy handling of this situation into the mix, and suddenly Capello's grasp on his job is looking quite tenuous, indeed.

So if Capello were to be removed, would Beckham have a shot at returning to national-side glory? Those who have played with the global icon believe he would.

"I still wouldn't write [Beckham] off yet and I wish him well," said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce, who played at Manchester United early in Beckham's career. "He's a decent lad and he's always been absolutely 100 percent dedicated to football. ... Once he gets himself fit again, you never know because he's a resilient so-and-so."

And what does Beckham think? Well, these days, he's not focused on the tabloids, but instead on football. Or soccer, as it's dubbed here in the MLS.

After months of intense rehabbing, Beckham resumed light drills with the Galaxy on Wednesday with the hope of returning to the Los Angeles lineup before the end of the 2010 season.

"A few people are [surprised at my early return], but I'm not. I expected to push myself to the limit and I have," Beckham said. "In my own head I could have been back a month ago. The doctors said Oct. 1, but hopefully it will be a few weeks before that."

The earliest Beckham is eligible to play this season is in the Galaxy's Sept. 4 road match against the Fire. An early September return might be a bit ambitious for Beckham's return -- if not hasty, especially at his relatively advanced age -- but it seems to be a very real possibility that No. 23 will return to the midfield before the U.S. season is through.

The Galaxy are currently in first place in MLS' Western Conference, with a four-point lead and a match in hand over Real Salt Lake, but they have struggled as of late, with four losses, one win and one tie in its last six matches. The Galaxy was also embarrassingly bumped from CONCACAF Champions League play by the Puerto Rico Islanders, a significantly smaller club, so Beckham's return could certainly provide the club with a much-needed boost.

Moreover, with AC Milan having announced last week that they won't be bringing Beckham back on loan because of his age, a solid, healthy showing at the close of the MLS season could make him an intriguing acquisition for European clubs for the stretch run overseas.

And if Beckham earns a high-profile European loan and then shows solid form, a return to England's national side, even if only in a substitute role, would have to be seen as a very real possibility.

Unless of course Fabio Capello is still calling the shots for England.

(Watch: Beckham, teammates talk about his return to practice)