I may drop Becks, warns Fergie

David Beckham was warned last night that he will be dropped for Manchester United's Champions League qualifier on Wednesday week if his form does not improve.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will see how Beckham performs against Aarhus in Denmark tomorrow and against Boca Juniors at Old Trafford on Saturday before picking his team for the Champions League first leg against NK Zagreb of Croatia or Zalaegerszegi of Hungary.

After watching him play all but 12 minutes of last night's 3-0 defeat of Parma in the Amsterdam tournament, Ferguson said: 'I would hope that Beckham and the other England players improve their performances before Saturday.

'I have an idea of what team I would like to pick for the Champions League game but it depends on how much they improve.

'They did well against Parma but it was only their second game. I will have a look at them in the next two games and then decide.

'Sometimes there is a dip in form during preseason and I can't afford that. It's a big game.'

Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Wes Brown were all given an extra two weeks' rest after the World Cup and did not join the tour party until Thursday.