England captain David Beckham is seeking a way out of Manchester United amid speculation he will be off to join Real Madrid's star-studded squad this summer, according to media reports today.
Beckham was reportdly furious to find himself starting on the substitutes bench for last Wednesday's Champions League thriller against Real Madrid; he eventually came on and scored twice.
Manager Alex Ferguson started with Norwegian forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instead of Beckham and insisted afterwards he was happy with his tactics - but today's British press were adamant a parting of the ways is now inevitable.
"Becks: Get me out of United," was how The Suntabloid headlined a front page story in which it asserted Beckham had had talks on his future with agent Tony Stephens minutes after the match, adding the star had left Old Trafford in tears.
"End it like Beckham," the paper headlined another two-pagestory, as it insisted the 27-year-old Beckham skipper had come to the end of his "love affair" with the club.
The Daily Mailshowed Beckham trudging through the rainy streets of Manchester the day after his team's cup exit and likewise suggested a change of club was on the cards.
Relations between Beckham and Ferguson have been strainedrecently. The United boss accidentally caught Beckham in the face after kicking a boot across the dressing room in February following an FA Cup loss to Arsenal.
Ferguson also left the England captain out of a crucialPremiership encounter with title rivals the Gunners earlier this month.
Real believe a deal is worth doing commercially given the huge spin-offs they could reap in marketing terms.
PA