David Beckham has hailed Sir Alex Ferguson's past achievements at Manchester United as the pair prepare to link up for a charity match.

The former England international played under Ferguson for 11 years, but their relationship turned sour towards the end of his time at the club in 2003.

Beckham will captain an all-star team at the Theatre of Dreams next month, which will be managed by Ferguson, and the ex-Real Madrid midfielder has now moved to clear the air.

"Obviously he was my favourite manager I ever played for, he gave me my chance to play for the team I've supported my whole life, and the success we had there was down to him as a manager and the players we played with," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

"To have Sir Alex Ferguson involved in this was something you can only dream of and a I really want to thank him for being a part of this.

"It's great to have someone so respected, one of the most decorated managers in football history being part of something that is so important to so many children around the world."

The Match for Children at Old Trafford, which will be refereed by Italian official Pierluigi Collina, has been arranged to raise funds for Unicef.