Neville right back in the thick of it

THE best efforts of Alex Ferguson to lessen the inevitable circus atmosphere that attended David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford inevitably ended in failure last night.

However, the tie presented far more intriguing and complex sub-plots than the presence on his old stomping ground of the former England captain, lauded and afforded a warm welcome by the United public when he appeared as a second-half substitute.

One of the more interesting issues thrown up by United’s 7-2 aggregate victory was the performance of Beckham’s best friend, the best man at his Hollywood-style wedding, Gary Neville. The right-back spent so many years coming through the Old Trafford ranks positioned, literally and metaphorically, behind Beckham but last night, Neville could consider himself one of the game’s big winners.