adminLONDON. — Sir Alex Ferguson tried to prevent David Beckham wearing Manchester United’s famous No. 7 shirt, according to Roy Keane. Beckham inherited the shirt following Eric Cantona’s retirement in 1997, joining the likes of George Best and Bryan Robson in United folklore.
But writing in his autobiography The Second Half, Keane claims Ferguson wanted him to take Cantona’s shirt as well as his captaincy. “At United, ‘7’ was the iconic number,” Keane wrote. “When Eric Cantona left there was debate about who was going to be the next captain.
“But there was his number, too — ‘7’. Bryan Robson had had it before Cantona and, of course, it went back to Georgie Best. The manager pulled me into his office and said that he wanted me to wear the ‘7’. I said, ‘No, I’m not bothered.’
“And he said, ‘I know Becks will want it and I don’t want him to have it’.” — Sky Sports.
Online Reporter