Manchester United old guard endure thanks to Ferguson, says Beckham

Alex Ferguson's philosophy is behind the longevity of Manchester United's homegrown players, says Paris St Germain midfielder David Beckham

Reuters, Friday 1 Mar 2013

Send

David Beckham and Alex Ferguson in 2002 (photo: Reuters)

Happy Beckham delights PSG in his French debut

Beckham hopes to emulate Giggs and Scholes in PSG role

The former England captain and United player is still active at 37, having joined PSG on a five-month loan at the end of January.

Former team mate Phil Neville, 36, plays at Everton and the 39-year-old Ryan Giggs, who started his youth career at Manchester City but ended it at United, is still at Old Trafford after signing his first professional contract there in 1990.

"The majority of the Manchester United players who started in the mid 1990s - Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and I - are still on the pitch," Beckham told French sports daily L'Equipe on Friday.

Butt and Gary Neville have recently started coaching careers at United and England respectively but Scholes returned to the field in January 2012, eight months after calling it quits as he sought to help his club through an injury crisis.

"I think it is because Sir Alex Ferguson showed us the way when we were teenagers. He taught us to respect the game, to respect our body and to love what we do," Beckham said.

"For now, Ryan Giggs is the one who has been furthest (in his career). He continues to play at the highest level and he does not seem to want to stop. But in the end, maybe it will be me (who will quit last)," he said.

Beckham started his professional career at United in 1993 and left to join Real Madrid in 2003.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)

Search Keywords:

Manchester United | David Beckham | Alex Ferguson

Short link:

Name

Comment's Title

Comment

Ahram Online welcomes readers comments on all issues and on material published on the site. We also welcome criticism and/or corrections. This is subject to the following code

We will not publish comments which contain rude or abusive language, libelous statements, slander and personal attacks against any person/s.
We will not publish comments which contain racist remarks or any kind of racial or religious incitement against any group of people, in Egypt or outside it.
We welcome criticism of our reports and articles but we will not publish personal attacks, slander or fabrications directed against our reporters and contributing writers.
We reserve the right to correct, when at all possible, obvious errors in spelling and grammar. However, due to time and staffing constraints such corrections will not be made across the board or on a regular basis.

Readers Picks