Manchester United will always be biggest and best, says former star Beckham

David Beckham walked out of Old Trafford eight years ago but Manchester United will always be No 1 as far as the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder is concerned.

Possibly for the last time, Beckham faced his old club in the early hours of Thursday morning.

But even in a deep-lying midfield role, from which he produced an excellent personal performance, he could not prevent the MLS All-Stars slipping to a 4-0 defeat against Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

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Not that Beckham allowed it to spoil his evening. He had a friendly chat with Ferguson after the final whistle and it is clear the affection for a club he supported as a boy but left for Real Madrid in 2003 still remains.

'They are the biggest team in the world and they are the best,' he said. 'There is no other team like them. I have been lucky enough to play with AC Milan and Real Madrid but there is no other club with that attitude.

'Any new player that comes into Manchester United feels it straight away.

'The manager expects you to work hard and win games. It is instilled into you at a very young age at Manchester United and it carries on all the way through.

'There is a never-say-die attitude. It is what Manchester United have.'

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Beckham and Ferguson made their peace when the former England skipper was on a short stint with AC Milan and the pair exchanged a handshake during a Champions League training session at the San Siro, prior to an encounter with Inter.

The pair may have had their differences over Beckham's celebrity lifestyle, and in particular the influence of his wife Victoria, but the Londoner claims he still owes a debt of gratitude to the Scot.

'I had many successful years at Manchester United playing under Sir Alex Ferguson,' he said. 'I wouldn't be in the position I am today if it wasn't for him.

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'He gave me a chance when I was 16 and I owe him a lot. He has been a father figure to me for many years. To play against Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson still as manager and some of the players I played with, is always going to be emotional.'

LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena might not have been too impressed with Beckham completing the full 90 minutes after only arriving in New Jersey at 1.30am on Monday morning.

However, Beckham conceded that was his own fault.

'The problem is with me, it doesn't matter how old I am, once I am on the field, I don't want to come off,' he said. 'I will always be like that.

'I enjoyed the game but if you don't capitalise on your chances, they can kill you.

'They play the ball around so well. It was a pleasure to play against them.'