Fergie had to give Becks the boot
RYAN GIGGS says Sir Alex Ferguson had no choice but to give David Beckham the boot after the pair started to feud at Manchester United.
Fergie stunned football in 2003 when he let Beckham join Real Madrid for £24million.
The England star was at his peak but Fergie decided the midfielder thought he was bigger than the United boss himself.
In his book, Fergie claimed the “death knell” was when the player directly challenged his authority. The Scot also said Beckham, who he once described as “like a son’”, blew his chance to be a United legend by leaving for Real.
Giggs believes the rows became so bad it made it impossible for Becks, right, to stay – especially after he was cut by a boot kicked by Fergie in a famous dressing-room bust-up.
Giggs, United’s most decorated player and record appearance holder, said: “It was getting too much, where he [Beckham] was arguing every other week really and it was just time for both parties to move.” The Wales manager admits he had a tempestuous relationship with Fergie too. But he said Fergie would never have a go at Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane or Cristiano Ronaldo. Giggs said: “There was fear towards him, especially early on. He mellowed a little bit as he got older, but not a lot. You just didn’t want to cross him at 18, 19, 20 because you never knew what sort of mood he was in. “I fell out with him six or seven times where it was a couple of weeks’ wages I was fined for talking back.You just got beat or you had a bad performance and I just couldn’t help myself. “Later, he told me he liked that, it meant you cared. He’d still fine you because he wanted to show he was in charge.
“It was one of his strengths, handling different personalities. There were three or four players he never had a go at. Cantona, Robson, Keane and Ronaldo. They were all in their own ways matchwinners.”
Giggs, who admits he came close to leaving United after Beckham’s departure, said Fergie did not even lay into Cantona following his infamous kung-fu kick on a fan at Selhurst Park in 1995.
The Wales boss added: “There were some games where Eric didn’t do anything. But he knew sooner or later he would come good. He was a master of psychology.
“The reaction in the dressing room (in 1995) was ‘this could be the first time we see Eric get a talking to’. We all couldn’t wait. But it was that us against them mentality. He knew everyone was going to be after Eric so he wanted to protect him.”