Beckham-mania returns to Manchester

David Beckham was greeted by a scrum of fans and media this afternoon as he arrived at Manchester Airport ahead of his much-anticipated return to Old Trafford.

Beckham-mania appeared to be as thriving as ever as the England midfielder signed autographs before being escorted onto a coach with his AC Milan team-mates.

Milan take on Manchester United in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie tomorrow night, with Beckham hoping the Italian outfit can overturn a 3-2 deficit against his former club.

It will be Beckham's first time back at Old Trafford as a player since he was sold by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to Real Madrid in 2003.

Beckham, who is on loan at Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, played for 72 minutes before being substituted in last month's first leg at the San Siro.

He provided an assist for Ronaldinho to score the opening goal of the game, although it remains to be seen whether the 34-year-old will make the starting line-up for tomorrow night's encounter.