Beckham never wanted to leave

Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon expressed his relief at seeing Real Madrid quash speculation they were planning a move for David Beckham, and then insisted the England captain had never been for sale anyway.

Rumours linking Beckham with a switch to the Spanish giants grew and grew after he started the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final between the two sides on the bench.

However, Real yesterday issued a statement on their website denying any bid was imminent and club president Florentino Perez backed up that view last night.

Perez and Kenyon were in talks in Brussels yesterday but only in the context of their roles within the G-14 group of 18 elite European clubs. Perez is president of G-14 and Kenyon a vice-president.

Kenyon said: “I am delighted Mr Perez has confirmed this in such an emphatic manner but, anyway, we at Manchester United never had any intention of selling him.

“All the speculation about David’s future has reached new heights lately because he’s had a phenomenal season, but this had almost been overshadowing everything we’ve achieved.

“David has stated himself that he doesn’t want to go anywhere but we have always been reluctant to make any public statements of any sort about the make-up of our team for next season.

“I’m also assured by David’s people that they don’t want him to leave Manchester United. Everyone at Old Trafford will be grateful to have this confirmed in such a manner by Real Madrid.”