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California - David Beckham said he was in great shape after reporting to the Los Angeles Galaxy's training camp on Thursday, two weeks late following an extended stay to train with Tottenham.
The former England captain started training with the Premier League team last month so he could work on his fitness following an injury-riddled year which saw him miss the World Cup and the majority of the Major League Soccer season.
"I could have been sitting on the beach somewhere, which obviously was an option," the 35-year-old Beckham said. "But at my age, and at this stage in my career, I can't afford to take three months holiday."
The Galaxy had initially been reluctant to allow him play in Europe for a third consecutive offseason after he damaged his Achilles' tendon at AC Milan last year and was sidelined for six months.
The team agreed to let him go, but Beckham was unable to secure a loan with Spurs, preventing him from suiting up for games and relegating him strictly to practice.
"My main objective was to get fit for the Galaxy and the MLS season," Beckham said following his first full practice session with the Galaxy on Thursday. "My objective wasn't to play for a Premiership team. Even if I would have been on loan and even if I would have played the games, this was the time I was always going to come back. That was agreed and nothing was going to change."
Beckham said he is now attempting to develop a rapport with his teammates before the team's season opener on March 15.
"All we care about is that when he is here, he wants to be here and he wants to play," Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan said. "And today he showed that he wants to be here and he wants to help this team. You can tell the guys are excited, and he's excited to be back."
Beckham is entering the final year of the five-year, $32.5 million deal he signed upon joining the Galaxy, leaving his future up in the air.
Some have speculated that he will take one last shot at playing with a top club overseas, with Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp already extending an open invitation for him to return.
Yet, Beckham downplayed any significance of this possibly being his last season in the MLS.
"It's not about validating my time here at the Galaxy, it's about the club being successful," he said. "Of course I want to win trophies, I want to win championships, but the most important thing is the club."
The Galaxy are heading into the season seeking redemption following a disappointing loss in last year's Western Conference finals, marking the fourth year without an MLS Cup victory since Beckham's arrival.
"I don't think that there's any question that he's been positive for everyone involved," Donovan said. "All the stuff on the field has been a big plus for us. And off the field, you can't put a price on how valuable he's been to this league."
