LONDON: David Beckham has plenty of time to think about his future now that he's not playing so much soccer.

Dropped by his country and benched by Real Madrid, the former England captain is being linked with a return to the English Premier League or a move to Major League Soccer in the United States.

Britain's newspapers and bookmakers speculated Tuesday that Beckham was "sad and frustrated" at losing his place in the Madrid team, weeks after being told he was no longer part of England coach Steve McClaren's plans.

And while Madrid coach Fabio Capello will rest nine regulars for Wednesday's Copa del Rey match against third-division Ecija, Beckham may still miss out. He was injured after coming on as a substitute in Sunday's 2-0 victory over FC Barcelona and was unable to train the next day.

Beckham's public statements that he wants to sign a new contract to replace the agreement that expires at the end of the season have not led to negotiations and the 31-year-old midfielder will be free to negotiate with other clubs in January. He could even leave then.

"A lot of clubs in the Premiership would like to have David Beckham," Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder said Tuesday. "He's a great guy. He has had a fantastic career and I'm sure he's got plenty to offer whether he stays at Real Madrid or whether he moves on."

Since limping out of England's World Cup quarterfinal loss to Portugal, Beckham has had a tough time.

A month after watching England lose that penalty shootout against Portugal, he was dropped from the squad. Beckham was repeatedly left out of Madrid's starting lineup by Capello, who explained that it was his job to pick the strongest lineup out of a strong squad.

"The most difficult thing to do for a coach is to select his starting 11," Capello said Tuesday. "I have 20 players at my disposal and each of them has to respect my job because I take decisions based on what is best for the team."

With just a few years left to play, Beckham doesn't want to sit on the bench. But bookmakers William Hill make him 6-4 favorite to still be at Madrid next season.

"With his star well and truly on the wane, Beckham may be well advised to stay where he is or consider taking a big drop in salary," William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said.

William Hill rates Beckham a 4-1 shot to go to MLS, 6-1 to join Arsenal, 7-1 to retire, and 20-1 to return to Manchester United.

That still seems unlikely because Beckham left Old Trafford after a series of disputes with manager Alex Ferguson. Ferguson was once so furious about a loss to Arsenal that he kicked a soccer boot across the changing room and it cut Beckham above the eye.

"It was an accident," Beckham later told The Sun. "I've known Ferguson since I was 12 years old and we had one or two problems in that time."

However, Beckham hinted at a rapprochement when he said he missed aspects of life at Manchester United.

"I have friends -- Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Michel Salgado _ but we don't go out together enough," he said. "At Manchester I was there for 15 years and every day, every match, we were united, win or lose.

"Every 15 days we went out together to dinner with all the players, including times when Ferguson and all the coaches came. In the three years I've been here, we have done that four times."

(China Daily 10/26/2006 page15)