Ferguson's choice leaves no doubt: Beckham is expendable

It was St George's Day, an occasion which means nothing to a Glaswegian like Sir Alex Ferguson, but which seemed a suitably appropriate time for him to drop the captain of England.

When reflecting on Raul's absence at Old Trafford, Ferguson stated that not even Real Madrid could do without their best player. Beckham's absence from the starting line-ups both here and in the Premiership showdown at Highbury, indicated he is no longer counted among United's necessities. By the time he came on with 27 minutes left, his team needed to score four more times against the champions of Europe, an equation beyond Melchester Rovers let alone Manchester United.

Still, Beckham scored twice and proved he can still take a devastating free-kick; he was the last to leave the pitch, his name chanted on the night air. The free-kick that flew past Iker Casillas for United's third goal of an utterly extraordinary evening was a reminder to Real Madrid he can deal with a dead ball better than Roberto Carlos.

Asked about Beckham's omission, Ferguson preferred to concentrate on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who after a string of exceptional performances on the right flank, deserved to keep his place. Beckham may, however, have felt more aggrieved to have been left out in favour of Juan Sebastian Veron, who had not played at all for seven weeks.

"There is a temptation to always make Solskjaer a sub because he can always come on and score but he has progressed greatly since we made the decision over his position in the team," Ferguson said. "There is only so many times you can hit a guy over the head. When somebody is playing as well as he has done, do you leave him out because David Beckham is a great player?"

Beckham, who was ineffectual in stopping Roberto Carlos marauding down the right flank during the first leg in the Bernabeu, might wonder how many times he can take being hit over the head and Manchester United will not be afraid to sell him.

The fact that Manchester United won on the night might limit the damage to the remainder of their Premiership season. "To come back to win the match was essential for us. Even though we knew we were going out, we showed our ability," Ferguson reflected, saying the key moment was the volley Veron struck into Casillas' chest just after half-time. "Had that gone in, I don't know how it would have gone."

Having seen the opportunity of playing a European Cup final in his home city of Glasgow slide away, Ferguson has now been denied a final in his adopted city of Manchester. It left an undeniably bitter taste. "I don't think it matters where you play your finals, the thing is to be there. It was a great match. The referee was outstanding and he refereed the best match in Europe this season, one of incredible imagination. People will talk about it for a long time but it doesn't make it any easier for me, as a manager, to take. If you score four goals at home you expect to win a tie but you can't legislate for someone like Ronaldo."