Van Nistelrooy dismisses talk of rift at United

CHAMPIONS League goal-king Ruud van Nistelrooy has dismissed the Old Trafford dressing room row as a two-second phenomenon.

Van Nistelrooy continued his amazing European scoring spree with the late match-clinching second against Juventus on Wednesday as United moved to within a single point of a quarter-final berth with three Group D matches still remaining.

However, the Dutchman’s predatory powers were overshadowed by the continuing fall-out from the dust-up between Alex Ferguson and David Beckham after last weekend’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal. “I don’t think anybody in the team was worried about the headlines in the papers this week,” said the £18.5million former PSV Eindhoven man. “I don’t think anybody thought about it for longer than two seconds. The way David Beckham played last night sums up the way he is. There has been a lot written and said about him, but he is always there for us, for the crowd and everybody at this club. Because of that I have great respect for him.”