So who's telling the truth?

DAVID BECKHAM moved last night to eliminate any tensions with Manchester United over the way his £25million transfer to Real Madrid was conducted.

The England captain, in Tokyo, claimed he would have been happier if the transfer had been done "differently".

He told reporters on his promotional tour of the Far East with his wife Victoria: "I think things went on that I wouldn't have been happy about.

"But when a club comes to a decision on the money side, it was my decision after that. For me, it's a good decision now.

"Of course, I think it could have been done a little bit differently. But I don't want to talk about that side of it because I am a Real Madrid player now and I'm looking forward to it."

The comments echoed sentiments he expressed via his management company SFX when he said he felt he was being used as "a political pawn" after United announced they had conditionally accepted a bid for him from Barcelona.

"I go over to Spain in early July to finalise it all and do my medical and once that has been done I'm going to do a message for the Manchester United fans because they have been a massive part of my life and my career.

"To just leave without saying anything wouldn't be right because I owe them a lot. Like they feel I've done a lot for the club, I feel that they've done a lot for my career and my life."

However, United chief executive Peter Kenyon denied the deal had been done behind Beckham's back and insisted the club feared losing one of their star players for nothing when his contract expired in two years' time and decided the time was right to cash in one of their most marketable assets.

In a second statement last night Beckham backtracked: "I understand reports are circulating that I was unhappy with some aspects of my transfer from Manchester United. That is not the case and I did not mean to give that impression in any way.

"I have publicly expressed my thanks and appreciation for the way the deal has been done by the club, my advisors and Real Madrid. The only thing I was a bit concerned about was the timing bearing in mind that the Spanish League had not finished."

Kenyon explained: "Some people have criticised Manchester United for the way we have handled the deal and for working behind the players back. This is simply not true.

"I know we conducted the negotiations and our dealings with all parties in the right and proper way during the whole process with David's advisors kept informed of developments throughout. The club has parted company with David on excellent terms."

With manager Alex Ferguson indicating he wanted to freshen up the squad, Kenyon added: "When making long-term plans on the playing side we review the age profile of our squad and crucially the status of key players' contracts.

"Normally, when a player has two years left on his contract we either renew his deal or accept that it might be best he move on elsewhere, allowing us to earn a fee on his sale.

"What does not make sense for the club is to let top players leave at the end of their contract on a free transfer.

"In David's case our approach in mid-May to his advisors about extending his current deal, which had just two years to run, did not meet with an immediate positive response. Around the same time we were approached by several clubs in Spain and Italy who were interested in buying David.

"We were also told by the player's advisors they too had been contacted by foreign clubs. It was at this point it became clear a transfer deal involving David might prove beneficial not only for the club but also for the player."

Ferguson will now use the new money to try to strengthen his hand come August.

Kenyon said: "We knew David was excited by the opportunity of playing abroad and we felt that if we could generate a substantial fee in our transfer deal it would support our efforts to strengthen the squad.

"From that point onwards it was our job at United to get the right deal for the club and SFX's job to do same for David. In that regard I believe we have both succeeded.

"We are currently working on bringing in these players we have identified who will strengthen our squad so that we are best placed to defend our Premiership title and mount an even more robust challenge in Europe."

Meanwhile Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes the sale of Beckham has signalled the beginning of the break-up of the core group of players who made Manchester United the dominant force in England over the last decade.

"One of the things that made Manchester great is going and with the togetherness that group of players had, and the things they had achieved, well, it is the beginning of a break-up for that group. For me, it was a surprise," Wenger claimed.

The Frenchman also thought United had not got the best price for the England captain, although he admitted Ferguson was likely to use the money to bring in some top-class replacements.

"The personal problems (between Beckham and Ferguson) certainly lowered the fee," he said.

"But Manchester have the means to buy big. Even if Beckham had stayed they could have afforded to buy big, so with Beckham going, Manchester will lead the way in England now."