David Beckham has been training with Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has confirmed, but the Gunners manager rejected reports he could sign the former England midfielder.

"He called me. He has asked to come here and to work on his fitness. He has not done anything for a long, long time," Wenger said of Beckham, who is without a club after leaving Los Angeles Galaxy at the end of last Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

"It's purely for fitness. There's no speculation about signing or anything. We are open for people who behave well when they come here."

Where Beckham, who made his name with Manchester United and has also played for Real Madrid and AC Milan, continues his career has still to be decided.

The 37-year-old, who won 115 England caps, was a key figure in the successful bid to bring the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to London in 2012.

And if his soccer career is now over, he could yet find himself with plenty of offers of promotional work.

Despite his United connection, this is not the first time Beckham has trained with Arsenal, having spent some time training with the London club in January 2008 during a break from the MLS season.

He also trained with Arsenal in late 2010, before he trained with Tottenham in January 2011, while this year his sons have been training with Chelsea.

Former Gunners Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell have also returned to Arsenal for training stints.

AFP - Global Times