Ahead of United's Champions League last 16 tie with AC Milan, Inside United travelled to Italy to catch up with returning Red David Beckham, who can't wait to come back to Old Trafford...
You said you almost cried when you heard the draw…
It was just an unbelievable feeling to know I’d be going back, which is why I felt really emotional when the draw was made. I met so many amazing people during my time there on and off the pitch that I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone again. It’s the biggest club in the world and it’s one you always want to be a part of.
Leaving United was clearly very difficult…
Yes, definitely. Coming to terms with not being a United player was very hard and certainly the toughest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. When you’re a Manchester United player and a Manchester United fan you never want to play for any other club.
How will Milan approach the tie? Has Leonardo asked you for any inside knowledge?
We will approach it like any other game, we respect United but we do not fear them. It’s been so long since I’ve been at United that so much has changed – there wouldn’t be much I could help with on that side.
Do you think the games will be harder to prepare for because of your United connection?
Yes, I think they will, simply because I’ve never come up against them or haven’t played at Old Trafford for seven years. It’s not something that you can prepare for. I don’t usually get nervous, but I think there will be a few butterflies before kick-off at
both games.
How will you feel if you score against United, or even score the goal that knocks us out - will you celebrate?
Sometimes emotion can get the better of you when you score, but I don’t think I would celebrate as I respect the fans and the club.
How does Milan compare to United and what differences have you noticed between the Premier League and Serie A?
They’re two fantastic clubs who have great history and tradition. The two leagues are quite similar, actually. Italian players are renowned for their great ability, but they also have a real toughness about them and a will to win. The Premier League was always an amazing league to play in. I’ve obviously been out of it for seven years and during that time I think the level has been raised even higher than it was when I was at United. I think that’s happened to every league in a way – they all move on and get better.
Which United game from your career would you relive and why?
[Pauses] Wow, there are so many. The 1998/99 season will always stick out as being an unbelievable year. There were so many memorable games throughout that campaign. We were involved in some amazing matches and we scored so many great goals, many of them last minute. But that is just Manchester United – it doesn’t matter which players are involved, you always believe you can win. You might be 2-0 down with a few minutes to go, but the players and the manager never stop believing. That’s just the way the club is.
You said you would love to have stayed here for your whole career. Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have all done that – how would you sum up the service they’ve given?
It’s been amazing. For them to still be playing at the highest level is incredible. It’s testament to them and the manager that they’re still producing great performances. The success they’ve had is unbelievable and I’m really happy for them.
Will Giggsy go down as United’s best ever servant?
Ryan deserves all the accolades he is getting at the moment. He has been amazing for Manchester United and he is loved by everyone there. It was an honour to play with him.
How do you rate the current side? They’ve been written off a few times this season, and many pundits feel Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t been replaced…
When Ronaldo left, I think there was always going to be people who would write United off. It’s happened so many times over the years, but they always come back fighting and the manager has always got an answer for the critics. The club have still got some great players and I see no reason why they can’t carry on being successful.
Finally, can you ever see yourself back at United in some capacity?
I’ll certainly be back as a fan. I’ve still got season tickets and I’ll always keep them because I love to watch every game where possible and I’d love to take my sons one day. United will always be such a special place to me, so we’ll just have to see what the future holds.
David Beckham is not guaranteed a place in the AC Milan team which faces Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
After starting Milan's first five league games of 2010, Beckham has been a substitute in their last two, although he did play the final 15 minutes of the 3-2 win over Udinese on Friday night.
But Leonardo discarded the notion that former United midfielder Beckham was being saved for his "special match" next week, insisting he had and will continue to pick the team he believes is best suited for each individual game.
"We know it's a very special match for him," said Leonardo.
"It's very special to play in the Champions League against his own team, let's say it like that.
"But we have got to analyse everything and we have a lot of players in good condition. We'll see how everybody is to choose the best team."
On Friday night Amantino Mancini took the role Beckham has occupied since arriving at the Rossoneri in December, but he is ineligible to face the Red Devils having already appeared in the competition for his former club Inter Milan. His position will therefore be up for grabs.
Mancini was replaced by Alexandre Pato on Friday night while Beckham had to wait until late on before taking the place of Ronaldinho, whose place in the team on Tuesday does not appear to be in any doubt after another inspirational performance against Udinese.
But Leonardo's praise of Beckham's adaptability means the former England captain has a good chance of featuring against his former employers.
"I think he can play anywhere," added Leonardo.
"He's smart and intelligent and tactically he's perfect.
"There are no problems choosing a system or a position for him.
"He's been doing very well this year. He arrived in December and he knows the team and how we play.
"I think David has nothing to prove to anybody.
"His career speaks for itself because what he did in football is something very big."
Milan's game against Udinese set a precedent with the Italian Football League agreeing to bring the fixture forward 24 hours to grant the Rossoneri an extra day to prepare for Tuesday's encounter.
However, United's elimination from the FA Cup means they have a free weekend and this could favour them, according to Leonardo.
"Fortunately we have played on Friday so we can rest a bit more, but Manchester played the other day so they have six days, which is two days more than us," he said.
"The more you rest, the better and the more players you get back.
"Manchester also had some players out injured who may benefit from these extra days, but at least we played today and this gives us two days more (than usual), which is an advantage."
Leonardo will be looking to establish an advantage for his side on Tuesday night and not leave them a mountain to climb in the second leg at Old Trafford.
"I think it is in our DNA that we always try to win," he said.
"We always start the game only with the thought of victory."
Their contrasting routes through the group stage of the Champions League – United's free-wheeling, Milan's ponderous – suggest as much, and yet a conviction is crystallising among the Rossoneri that such an imbalance of power will count for nothing in a knockout contest.
David Beckham, as the one man here to have bridged both camps, is its leading advocate. Beckham gives support, in one sense, to the traditional if hackneyed criticism of Milan: that they are too old, too reliant on a small cabal of long-serving players, to be competitive at the highest level.
At 34, he is forced to listen to claims that he is past his best, and is almost certain to be on the bench on Tuesday to make way for such in-form fliers as Alexandre Pato and Amantino Mancini.
But five games into his second spell of wearing Milan's No 32 jersey, Beckham has the perspective to discern the change in this team, the shift from a deference to Paolo Maldini – the talismanic captain who retired last summer aged 40 – to an investment in youthful flair, as exemplified by exciting Dutch centre-forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
"Paolo and a couple of characters who were here last time are not around, but there's a great team spirit within the club," Beckham said. "That has definitely not changed. We're just as strong and when we play well, we're a very good team."
The positive dynamic between Beckham and Ronaldinho, the one rival to the England midfielder for star quality, was plain to see as Milan carved out a 3-2 win over Udinese on Friday night to arrest a slide in their domestic results.
Their visionary passes provide Milan's main avenue of attack this season in an ambitious 4-3-3 system.
"He played really well," Beckham said of the Brazilian. "It was important we won, considering we hadn't won in the last three."
Beckham acknowledges that Wayne Rooney is more than a match for Ronaldinho for the title of the world's best striker, but realises Milan have an added dimension in the shape of Pato.
The club's beloved "duck" (the literal translation of Pato from Portuguese) has scored the type of goals recently to draw the envy of all Europe. His arcing volley at the Bernabeu to beat Real Madrid was sumptuous; his solo goal against Udinese following an inspired surge from midfield equally so.
Leonardo, Milan's smooth-talking manager, betrays an eerie confidence in how his team measure up against United.
"Sincerely, I think we have a lot of important players," he said. "We're lucky we can choose from a lot of players like that: Beckham, Ronaldinho, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo.
"We talk a lot about Ronaldinho. He had some problems in the last few years, but he demonstrates that he's still a very good player. He is very important to us – he is changing our identity."
The one area where Milan's identity needs no immediate change is the midfield, anchored by the peerless Andrea Pirlo. Still only 30, it feels like this creative force of nature has been around for decades, and he has similarly vast experience on which to draw either side of him, in Clarence Seedorf and Massimo Ambrosini. Paul Scholes, by comparison, is in his twilight.
Beckham still refuses to accept that he has entered any such decline and there remains a chance, while slim, that Leonardo could reward his formidable work ethic with a start on Tuesday.
"David has nothing to prove to anybody," the manager said. "His career speaks for itself because what he did in football is something very big."
Huntelaar also gave an effusive endorsement of Beckham's influence. "He has a real eye for the assist," the 26 year-old said. "He's always looking for the strikers and to swing the ball in, in front of you.
"It's nice to play as a striker with him there, and with Ronaldinho on the other side. Each player here has his own specialisms."
Beckham does not doubt that he has an heir to Milan's finest tradition, in being a specialist for the grand occasion.