David Beckham's status as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy is still in question. Landon Donovan, though, is coming back.
The Galaxy announced Thursday that Donovan, last season's team MVP, will return from an overseas loan to play for the MLS team this season. Donovan, who was playing with Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga, will begin training with Los Angeles on March 10.
Beckham, who's on loan to AC Milan, has a five-year contract with the Galaxy and is expected back next week. Beckham has said he wants to stay with Milan, and the Italian club has been trying to strike a deal to keep the international star in Europe.
Beckham can opt out of his MLS contract at the end of the season.
The 26-year-old Donovan scored a career-best 20 goals to lead Major League Soccer last season. He also had nine assists in 25 games.
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The striker, who has 84 goals and 69 assists in 183 career MLS games, made five Bundesliga appearances and one DFB Cup appearance.
He had expressed interest in staying with the German team upon his arrival in January, but with Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni and Hamburg's Ivica Olic on the roster for next season, there simply wasn't room for another veteran.
"I am very excited to be returning home to my teammates and the LA Galaxy," Donovan said in a written statement. "Although the results were not what we had hoped for, the time in Germany still was very positive for me. I am fit, motivated, and excited to be coming back as a better, more experienced player."
