Donovan blast for Becks

Donovan: Blasts Becks

All that we care about at a minimum is that he committed himself to us. As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways - on the field, off the field.

Donovan on Beckham
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David Beckham can expect a frosty welcome when he returns to the MLS this month after having his commitment to the cause questioned by Landon Donovan.

USA star Donovan states, in a new book due out later this month, that former Real Madrid man Beckham has demonstrated little commitment to the LA Galaxy cause following his big-money move across the Atlantic.

After enduring a disappointing debut campaign in MLS the 34-year-old joined AC Milan on loan in January, a move that was extended forcing him to miss half of the 2009 MLS season.

Donovan, who is the United States captain and wore the Galaxy armband in Beckham's absence, has questioned Beckham's leadership skills and says he has been a negative influence on the team since the ousting of former coach Ruud Gullit.

Commitment

"All that we care about at a minimum is that he committed himself to us," he says in The Beckham Experiment. "As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways - on the field, off the field.

"Does the fact that he earns that much more money come into it? Yeah. If someone's paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you are suspended or not. Show up and train hard, show up and play hard.

"Maybe he's not a leader, maybe he's not a captain. Fair enough. But at a minimum, you should bust your a** every day. That hasn't happened. And I don't think that's too much for us to expect. Especially when he's brought all this on us.

"When David first came, I believed he was committed to what he was doing. He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well.

"Somewhere along the way - and in my mind it coincides with Ruud being let go - he just flipped a switch and said, 'Uh-huh, I'm not doing it anymore'."