Beckham eyes 11 September return

Beckham had not been expected to return until 1 October

Former England captain David Beckham hopes to play for the LA Galaxy against Columbus Crew on 11 September.

The 35-year-old, who is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that he suffered while on loan at AC Milan, had been given a 1 October return date.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed and hopefully will play in part of the game against Columbus," said the midfielder.

"I'll be on the bench and hopefully I'll get on the field for 15-20 minutes," he told the Galaxy website.

The injury deprived Beckham, who has 115 England caps - more than any other outfield player - of a fourth World Cup final appearance.

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Last month England coach Fabio Capello said Beckham's international career was over, though the Italian suggested on Thursday that the midfielder could still force his way back into the squad.

"The door is open for all players, always," stated Capello.

"I prefer to choose the younger players, but always the door is open for all the players."

Beckham's last appearance for England was as a substitute in October 2009 in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win against Belarus, but for now he is concentrating on his rehabilitation, which is proving hard work.

"At the moment, you have good days and you have bad days," revealed Beckham, who joined LA Galaxy in 2007.

"You wake up with a lot more pain in your body when you're in pre-season. I have to do it because I need to get as close to match fitness as possible."

He added: "When you do go through a trauma like this, an injury like this, there's always going to be that thing in the back of your mind saying, 'The last time I did that motion was when it actually snapped'.

"Cutting and turning and pushing off is still difficult for me, but that's going to come in time."