Galaxy will wait for Beckham

LA Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas insists his club are prepared to wait for David Beckham's services until the end of his Real Madrid contract.

Real manager Fabio Capello's decision to draw a public end to the midfielder's playing days at the Bernabeu prompted speculation that Beckham would begin his Major League Soccer (MLS) career earlier than planned.

But Lalas said: "Our position is unchanged with regards to David Beckham. We look forward to welcoming him in the summer and we respect his chance to honour his contract with Real Madrid. All our plans are that we will welcome David here in the summer."

He added: "It would not be proper for an official from another club to comment on his situation in this context. We've made a point of letting him focus his attention and letting him focus on his team."

Lalas reiterated his club's belief that Beckham's record-breaking transfer is just as much about footballing ability as the former England captain's star quality.

"The positive impact and the response has been unlike anything our team or our league has ever seen," he said. "The attention and interest from everyone continues, and I'm really interested in watching our players deal with the situation.

"But first and foremost he is an incredible soccer player. The most important part of this equation is that we thought we were getting a first-rate player who can help us on the soccer pitch.

"We all agreed he was a player we were interested in, whether or not his name was David Beckham. We could not be any happier."

The former USA international, who once scored against England in a friendly, also brushed aside the suggestion that Beckham's move to the MLS is a soft option.

"Beckham is coming to the Premier club in the US, the jewel of Major League Soccer. LA Galaxy has very high standards for any of our players not just David," said Lalas. "[Those suggestions] are representative of a lack of knowledge that exists about the USA and the level of the soccer."