Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has defended his selection policy after David Beckham spoke of his frustration at not being a first-team regular.
Beckham recently said he felt "sad and frustrated" to be confined to the bench and only made a brief appearance as a substitute against Barcelona on Sunday.
"Each player has to respect my job because I take decisions based on what is best for the team," said Capello.
"You have to show respect for the club, coach and team-mates."
"At Manchester every 15 days we went out to dinner with all the players, including times when Sir Alex Ferguson and all the coaches came"
To add to Beckham's misery, he now looks doubtful to play in the midweek Copa del Rey clash against Ecija Balompie.
With several first-choice players being rested he was in with a good chance of a start but suffered a "heavy knock" against Barcelona, according to Capello.
Beckham, 31, is out of contract at the end of the season and may turn down the offer of a new deal to consider other options.
He left Manchester United in 2003 after a notorious dressing room incident involving manager Sir Alex Ferguson and a flying boot, which left the former England player with a split eyebrow.
But Beckham says it was not as big a deal as it was made out to be at the time.
"It was an accident. I've known Sir Alex since I was 12 years old. We have had one or two problems in that time," Beckham told The Sun.
If he does leave Madrid, Beckham has been linked with a move to America, as Major League Soccer bosses are keen to attract big-name players to promote the game.
"We need to have a higher quality of player and perhaps in certain markets a star player will help us get there," said MLS commission Don Garber.
A return to England looks unlikely but Beckham says one of the things he misses most in Spain is the English team spirit that was such a part of life at Old Trafford.
"I have friends - Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Michel Salgado - but we don't go out together enough," he said.
"At Manchester every 15 days we went out to dinner with all the players, including times when Ferguson and all the coaches came.
"In the three years I have been here we have done that four times."