Report: Beginning of end for Beckham?

By Simon Austin

Beckham has been a substitute for Real's last four matches

After being feted for so long, David Beckham is suddenly becoming accustomed to rejection.

On Friday he was left out of England's squad for this month's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia, despite the absence through injury of both Aaron Lennon and Owen Hargreaves.

Two days later, he was named on Real Madrid's bench for the fourth successive match.

This snub was particularly humiliating because a striker, Raul, was picked in Beckham's berth on the right side of midfield by manager Fabio Capello.

The former England captain's contract with Madrid expires at the end of the season and little progress seems to have been made in renewing it.

Stories linking Beckham with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States gain more credence as the weeks go by without the 31-year-old putting pen to paper at Real.

Yet former Liverpool player Michael Robinson - who presents, writes and directs the biggest football show on Spanish television - insists Beckham still has a future at the Bernebeu.

"The situation is not the same as in England, where Beckham seems to be a forgotten man," the presenter of El D�a Despu�s (The Day After) told BBC Sport.

Real have been very pedestrian and Reyes is one of the few players with any pace Michael Robinson Spanish TV presenter and former Liverpool player

"The noises coming out of Real Madrid suggest the new contract is a done deal.

"Capello has been quite pleased with the way David has been working this season. David has not been playing badly, it is not a problem with him."

Instead, Beckham has been "a victim of circumstance", according to Robinson.

"Capello began the season with Beckham in his starting line-up because he believes in him," said Robinson.

"But the side played very poorly in the first half of their Champions League opener against Lyon."

Lyon won last month's match 2-0 and Robinson added: "Real started sluggishly and got slower, so Capello decided to put a bit of velocity on to the pitch.

"He put Reyes on in place of Beckham and that immediately injected some pace into the side.

"The team has been very pedestrian this season. There are two defensive midfielders, Emerson and Mahamadou Diarra, and Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raul are not fast.

Van Nistelrooy and Beckham had a great understanding at Man Utd

"Reyes is one of the few players in the squad with pace and when he has been in the side it has meant Beckham being left out.

"If Reyes keeps playing well, it might be difficult for Beckham to get back in the team."

However, Robinson says Beckham remains popular with Capello and the club's fans.

"Beckham has done nothing other than work his socks off since he has been in Madrid," said Robinson.

"He has proved to all the Madrid fans who thought the club had signed a male model that he is a real footballer.

"The fans have applauded him for how hard he has worked."

And he insists that the former England skipper is still a key component of the Real Madrid squad.

"Don't forget that one of Van Nistelrooy's greatest attributes is his heading ability," Robinson said.

"He thrived on Beckham's service when they were together at Manchester United and could do so again in Madrid.

"David is still regarded as an important part of Real's squad and could surprise a few people this season."

Some have suggested that Beckham's appeal to Real is his commercial power rather than his footballing ability.

But Robinson says this is definitely not the case.

"Real Madrid have not won anything for the last three years, which is a crisis for them," he said.