David Beckham, sidelined since injuring his knee in a game on Aug. 29, returned to practice with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday.

Associated Press

Beckham went through a few drills in his first practice in more than a month.

When Beckham went out with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, it was estimated he would miss at least six weeks, and possibly would be unable to play for the Major League Soccer team again this season.

The 32-year-old English midfielder kicked the ball around and went through a few drills with his teammates in his first practice in more than a month.

"He looked good," Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said. "He's been training real hard by himself."

Yallop said Beckham participated in a ball-movement drill so he wasn't sprinting full out.

"He feels comfortable and it's great to see him out there," Yallop said.

There was no indication when Beckham might return to the lineup. Los Angeles is 7-13-6 with four games remaining in the regular season and have an outside chance of making the playoffs.

Beckham isn't expected to travel with the team for its game in Houston on Sunday.

"We've got to see how he reacts to what he did today," Yallop said. "We want to make sure he's 100 percent. That's the wise thing to do."

Beckham signed a five-year deal with the Galaxy for an annual salary of $6.5 million. Hampered by an ankle injury, he has appeared in just six games and played a total of 310 minutes, about $21,000 a minute.

Beckham hurt his knee in a tackle by Pachuca midfielder Fernando Salazar in the SuperLiga title match. The Galaxy lost 4-3 on penalty kicks.

The injury also has kept Beckham from joining England's national team for European Championship qualifiers.

He already had a left ankle injury that caused him to miss seven games since joining the Galaxy on July 13. That injury occurred while he was playing for England on June 6.

Yallop had said earlier that Beckham may have tried to come back too soon from the ankle injury.

"I guess we all learn lessons from what went on before," Yallop said Wednesday. "David himself, he was just desperate to play. He was OK, played well in New York (a 5-4 loss to the Red Bulls on Aug. 18), and started to play well in the Pachuca game when he was injured.

"It will be a good situation now when he does come back, he'll be a lot fitter."

The coach said Beckham is eager to get back into action. "Frustration was the word I used for him; he couldn't believe all this was happening to him," Yallop said. "He's so determined to get back in time (to finish this season), and moving forward to next year. He can't wait."