Beckham faces United contract dilemma

After seven successive wins, everything is rosy in the Manchester United garden again. Except if your name is David Beckham, that is.

In a matter of weeks, the England captain has been transformed from national hero to Old Trafford misfit. Beckham is also involved in protracted negotiations over a new contract.

Those two facts may not be unrelated.

In October Beckham completed his rehabilitation as far as England fans were concerned when his stoppage time free kick against Greece secured a place in this year's World Cup finals.

Just as the 26-year-old finally laid to rest the ghost of the 1998 World Cup, when his red card against Argentina meant he was blamed for England's exit, Beckham has mysteriously fallen out of favour at Old Trafford.

There were several candidates to blame for the champions' jittery start to their final premier league campaign under manager Alex Ferguson.

Gaffe-prone goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and compatriot Laurent Blanc were the obvious targets, together with a subdued Roy Keane and the out-of-sorts, out-of-position Paul Scholes.

To most observers outside Old Trafford, Beckham, while not setting the world alight, had continued to work his red and black socks off for his manager.

But while Ferguson kept faith with his faltering Frenchmen, England's captain found himself suddenly sidelined.

Initially, the official line was that Beckham was resting a back injury, but his exile has gone on too long for that still to be the case.

CONTRACT TALKS

Ever since he was hauled off after 75 minutes of the abject 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea on December 1, Beckham has been unable to command a regular place in the starting line-up.

He has now started only twice in United's last 10 games -- playing only 112 minutes out of a possible 900 -- and he is by no means certain to start at Southampton on Sunday.

All season long Ferguson has tinkered with the United midfield. The arrival of Argentine Juan Sebastien Veron and Ferguson's preference for a 4-4-1-1 formation has put Paul Scholes's nose out of joint as well as Beckham's.

With Beckham's contract negotiations still ongoing, Europe's leading clubs are keeping a close eye on the situation, although few have the buying power to meet a likely asking price in excess of 30 million pounds ($43.27 million).

Beckham, meanwhile, maintains he doesn't wish to leave. "Everyone knows I want to stay here," he said before Christmas. "It was where I was brought up and it's a way of life for me."

The situation must come to a head soon, with the player's contract expiring in 18 months when United could lose him for nothing under the Bosman ruling.

MACHIAVELLIAN PLOT

It seems that is not Beckham's motive for delaying and perhaps he wants to know who will be Ferguson's successor as manager next season before committing himself to the club.

It could be that Ferguson wishes to focus Beckham's mind on those contract talks, reminding him that nobody is bigger than the club.

Or just maybe Ferguson has hatched an even more Machiavellian plot aimed at helping United win the approval of England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, a candidate to be the next United boss.

After all, the Swede would like nothing more than to have Beckham fresh as a daisy for June's World Cup while Veron, whose Argentina team England face in the group stage, struggles to catch his breath after an exhausting domestic season.