David Beckham tonight revealed he was "over the moon" about Sir Alex Ferguson postponing his retirement as Manchester United manager.
Relations between the manager and his England midfielder became strained before Christmas when he was left on the bench for a number of matches, prompting speculation that Beckham's future at Old Trafford was in doubt and a host of top European clubs were waiting in the wings to whisk him away this summer.
The player tonight confirmed that although an increased salary had been agreed last September, negotiations over image rights to be incorporated into his new contract are still on-going.
However, having now rediscovered his form and reclaimed his place in the side, his delight at Ferguson's decision to stay on suggests the captain of the national team is set to follow suit.
Beckham and his fellow United team-mates only found out about the decision on Tuesday morning as they turned up for training.
"We had been hearing little rumours but we didn't believe them," said Beckham.
"He came in before training and told us it was a big decision and he had decided to stay on. I am over the moon."
Ferguson confirmed that it was his wife Cathy who had persuaded him to stay on beyond his 15-year tenure and Beckham, married to Spice Girl Victoria, joked: "We all know about wives always making the decisions!"
There has been considerable conjecture over the 26-year-old Beckham's contract talks - with his current deal running out next summer - but the midfielder tonight confirmed the only stumbling block was over his image rights.
Beckham said: "The negotiations have been going well and it has been going on for quite a while.
"It's not the salary that's a problem, that was sorted out in September.
"It's just the image rights that needed a little perking."
PA