LONDON: David Beckham, Manchester United's star midfielder, was a brooding bystander for almost 70 minutes. He is the icon whose marketability Madrid might yet buy, and he is the “son” whose appeal to manager Alex Ferguson after 10 years at Old Trafford is wearing thin.
To start the match, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was preferred on Beckham's wing, and Juan Sebastian Veron, despite not playing for seven weeks, was selected in midfield.
