David Beckham was limited to some stretching and kicking practices because of a lingering ankle injury in his first training on Monday since joining the Los Angeles Galaxy.

He is scheduled to make his playing debut on Saturday in a friendly against Chelsea, and Galaxy coach Frank Yallop said the superstar midfielder's progress will be monitored daily.

"His ankle is quite swollen," Yallop said. "We're hoping it recovers quickly and he can have some part in the game."

He originally hurt his left ankle playing for England in a European Championship qualifier on June 6 and it flared up again on June 17 in his final Spanish league game with Real Madrid.

Saturday's game, part of the four-team World Series of Football, is sold out and ESPN will televise it live, using 19 cameras to track Beckham.
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(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2007)