Beckham and Milan take almighty risk

By Mark Meadows - Analysis

MILAN (Reuters) - David Beckham and AC Milan are taking a huge risk which could easily backfire for both parties.

The 33-year-old midfielder is poised to join the Italian club on a short-term loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in a bid to keep up his fitness and impress England coach Fabio Capello during the U.S. Major League Soccer close season.

If the deal is agreed, Beckham could anger the American soccer family who had hoped he was in the United States for good and would continue to promote the minority game there.

He trained with Arsenal during the last close season but there was never a chance he would turn out for the London club.

By deciding this time that he needs to play somewhere else, at least for a few months, he may give the impression that Los Angeles and the standard of soccer in the U.S. are not good enough to sustain his ambition of playing at the 2010 World Cup.

But a backlash in America may be the least of his problems.

He has no experience of Italian football and it is not easy to see how he would fit into Milan's plans with famous Brazilians Kaka and Ronaldinho already with the Rossoneri.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti does not play with a winger -- Beckham's traditional role with Manchester United, Real Madrid and England - while his midfield is packed with talent that a 33-year-old without much pace would struggle to compete with.