Rooney scored twice as United romped to a 4-0 last-16 second-leg win to secure a 7-2 aggregate victory and a place in the quarter-finals as Beckham’s return to Old Trafford ended in defeat.

”He’s such an exceptional talent,” Beckham told ITV1 of Rooney. ”I think without a doubt he’s one of the best, if not the best, player at the moment along with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi.”

Beckham entered the fray midway through the second-half, coming off the substitutes’ bench to a standing ovation. But the contest was already over.

”It was a disappointing night because we lost the game but returning here is always special,” added the former England captain. ”It was unbelievable. I have to say thank you. It was really incredible. It was nice to be back, a disappointing night but nice to be back.”

Rooney has now scored 30 goals this season and could overtake the tally of 42 achieved by Ronaldo – now at eliminated Real Madrid – in the 2007-2008 season.

”It’s a challenge,” United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. ”I was happy with him getting to the 30 mark, to be honest. But he just keeps improving and tonight he was sensational.”

Milan simply could not live with United, Ferguson said. ”It was a marvellous second-half performance,” he added. ”We played very, very well. When we play at that tempo, we’re difficult to play against and it was a really solid performance.”

Ferguson believes United are now capable of going all the way in the tournament and is happy to play anyone in the last eight.

”With that kind of team I’ve got it doesn’t matter who we play,” he said.

It is alleged that conversations between players and members of the coaching staff were taped ahead of the Wembley fixture and offered to national newspapers, none of which took up the story.

The Times details how the FA’s solicitors, Charles Russell, on Monday warned newspapers against publishing details of the recording which it is claimed was obtained illicitly.

England stayed at The Grove in Hertfordshire prior to the Egypt game but a spokesman told the Times the hotel was unaware of any reported security breach.

“We do not know anything about it,” said the spokesman. “We have been hosting England for three or four years and provide a very high level of security for them. They also bring their own security team. It would surprise me if they had been bugged here.”

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted news the England team has been bugged is a concern.

Ferguson and Manchester United were at the centre of a similar controversy in 2005 when listening devices were found in the home dressing room at Old Trafford after a key encounter with Chelsea. And, ahead of a World Cup campaign, he thinks the latest development is a worry.

“It happened to us once before,” he said. “I would be concerned about it. You have to be. Preparation involves discretion and secrecy. I haven’t revealed one bit of my tactics ahead of the match tomorrow. I haven’t been asked. And do you know why? Because I wouldn’t tell anyone. Why should I tell anyone?

“Capello may have been discussing some important issues about his team. All of a sudden someone else has got it. It is a concern.”

England have just two friendles remaining before they travel to the World Cup in South Africa with Mexico and Japan the opposition at the end of May.

Capello’s provisional squad will be named on May 16 and his final 23-man squad will be unveiled on June 1.

Ferguson has been reluctant to spend big money and has said in recent months that he feels there is a lack of value in the market, but he now acknowledges that Manchester United cannot continue to rely so heavily on Wayne Rooney and will look to bring in a new forward when the transfer window reopens.

Edwin van der Sar recently agreed a one-year contract extension to remain at Old Trafford next season but, at 39, his time at the top level looks limited, so Ferguson would like to bring in one of the world’s top goalkeepers to replace him.

United raised £80 million from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in the summer but reinvestment in the market was limited and there were suspicions that the Glazers were using the remaining funds elsewhere in the business. However, it has emerged that the cash pile is still available for new signings.

An insider told Soccernet: “There is no doubt that the money from the sale of Ronaldo is there for Sir Alex to spend, and any other money he raises through sales. Sir Alex needs a striker and a goalkeeper, and the players of the quality United demand means that they would be extremely expensive and, while Sir Alex likes value for money, he does need these two players for next season as a matter of priority.”

Ferguson has been left to deal with team matters without any interference from the Glazers, and for that reason he is supportive of their ownership of the club and unwilling to go behind their backs to back the Red Knights’ potential takeover.

“Sir Alex is not involved with the Red Knights, nor would he be,” the insider added. “It’s preposterous to even suggest it. In any case, their bid is not reality.

“No one is going to force the Glazers to sell, and I would doubt whether the Glazers would even entertain these guys, even if they did change their minds one day. There seems to be no proof of funds – the likelihood is that they would borrow heavily in any case – so what is the difference?”

Ribery stated that his future would be decided in the next ”two or three” weeks, but the clubs he cited as interested parties have raised eyebrows as it had been thought that he favoured a move to Spanish league leaders Real Madrid.

”I’m not 100% going to Real,” he said. ”Barcelona and Chelsea are also very interested. We will see. It will be decided in two to three weeks.”

Reports have suggested that Madrid are now reluctant to pay much more than £20 million after a massive spending spree last summer, but the Bernabeu side are long-term admirers of the Frenchman and his agent has maintained in the past that Madrid would be his favoured destination.

”The player has talked with Zinedine Zidane and he wants to play for Los Blancos for him,” Alan Migliaccio told RAC-1 last summer.

Barcelona are keen to replace out-of-favour Thierry Henry but have also been tracking Valencia’s David Villa and Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, while Joe Cole’s stalled contract negotiations have forced Chelsea’s hand in the recruitment of a new midfielder.

Ribery recently insisted that Bayern’s ambition was more important than any financial package they put together to try to sway him, so ultimately their progress – or otherwise – in the Champions League could be the deciding factor.

Egyptian owner Mohamed Al-Fayed bought Fulham in 1997 before funding the club’s rise to the Premier League in 2001, while Russian Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea in 2003, and top-flight clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa have since been taken over by foreign owners.

Seven of the 20 Premier League sides currently have managers from outside the United Kingdom, and Redknapp believes that number will only increase as owners demand greater success.

“Every club will have a foreign owner eventually and you’ll get less British managers,” he said. “Mark Hughes was doing a terrific job at Man City, but new owners want to bring in somebody they have heard of.

“There are some terrific managers in the Championship and below who just need the chance but a big club will always go for that sexy name. I’m not really sexy. You’ll have to ask my wife. She’ll definitely say ‘no’.

“The new owners are all billionaires and all want to win the league. They don’t understand they can’t all win the league. It will be like revolving doors for managers.

“Gone are the days of Bob Lord, the butcher from Burnley, or Mr Reg Pratt when I went to West Ham who had the wood yard up at Wanstead.

“Who would ever have believed Arsenal having Russian and American owners? Who’d have believed they’d have a stadium called the Emirates? Portsmouth was difficult for me, because I had an owner [Alexandre Gaydamak] I didn’t know and never saw. Tottenham are a rare commodity.

“Daniel [Levy] is a local guy. I get on fine with Daniel. He has been good as gold for me and I’ve been as good as gold for him.”

Fabregas suffered the injury in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat of Burnley and was substituted in the first half at Emirates Stadium, soon after scoring his 17th goal in all competitions this season for Arsenal.

The Gunners lost Fabregas to a hamstring injury between December 27 and January 17 after he aggravated a previous problem in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa and Wenger has decided against taking a further risk with the Spaniard.

Arsenal are trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal and Wenger said at the weekend he would consider taking a gamble on Fabregas despite his injury concerns but, having failed to train, he said there was no possibility of his captain playing.

“We cannot even take a gamble, so he is not available,” Wenger said. “I was hoping (he could be on the bench) after the (Burnley) game because we were quite cautious with him and he was not adamant about coming off, yet he still damaged his hamstring and we cannot take a gamble on him.

“Ideally you want him to be there. We want to qualify and the absence of Cesc is not any excuse at all. We have enough players and a strong enough squad to still get round that and have a very good chance to qualify.”

Arsenal will have Alex Song at their disposal as his suspension is limited to domestic football, with Denilson and Abou Diaby likely to accompany him in midfield.

Sol Campbell has trained despite missing Saturday’s game due to a groin problem and the defender, who scored Arsenal’s goal in the first leg, could replace Mikael Silvestre.

Alexander, who recently took time off from his job with the League Two side due to illness, was in charge for the defeat against Notts County on Tuesday night.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “It is our sad duty to report that Keith Alexander passed away today after arriving home from Macclesfield Town’s game at Notts County last night.

“Keith was a splendid man. He will be sorely missed at the Moss Rose and by everyone involved in football. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family at this very difficult time.”

Alexander had a brain scan last year having suffered cerebral aneurysms in 2003.

Last year, he told the Daily Mirror: “I’m lucky to be here. Cerebral aneurysms are burst blood vessels in the head and, when doctors went through the back of my skull to operate on me, they found two.

“Everything was fine, except I didn’t return from hospital until 5pm and we had lost 2-0. But to put it in perspective, only today I received a letter from a woman whose sister is very poorly after a similar aneurysm illness, and she didn’t think the outlook was good.

“I rang her up and told her I felt like that for a couple of months afterwards, but I’m still here, out and about.

“People know I came through it and, if I can help others to do the same, that is the least I can do.

“There is no evidence that, in my case, it was brought on by the stress of being a manager in the lower divisions, which is just as well. I reckon the pressure at this end of the spectrum must be greater than the top end.”

Alexander was given a clean bill of health after the scans last year and suggested the scare had been down to a virus at the club.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have come into work that day, but my generation just goes to work, no matter what,” he told the Macclesfield Express. “You get on with it and don’t make excuses.

“My wife wasn’t very happy with me but the good news is that I am perfectly well, really perfectly well and have been given a complete all-clear.”

Alexander played as a striker for clubs including Grimsby and Lincoln and made three international appearances for St Lucia. He entered management in 1993 with Lincoln and went on to manage Ilkeston Town, Northwich Victoria and Peterborough before becoming Macclesfield boss in 2008.

Peterborough director of sport Barry Fry, who worked with Alexander as a player at Barnet and again at London Road when he was manager, revealed he had been concerned recently about his friend’s health.

“I really can`t believe it,” he said. “I’d been worried lately about his health but he assured me he was fine. He recently had a bout of hiccups that he couldn’t get rid of and he went into hospital for that, but he wasn’t feeling ill when I spoke to him last. He was bubbly.

“He’d had a few days off but he couldn`t wait to get back on the training pitch. You won`t find a more dedicated man at any club, he always gave 150%. I feel so sad for his family.”

Macclesfield chairman Mike Rance said: “He was a splendid man, a real gentleman and an absolute privilege to work with. He was strong, sensible, commanded respect throughout the game and was unique in many ways.”

Deco, who represented Portugal after moving to the country and gaining citizenship, joined Chelsea from Barcelona in 2008, on a three-year contract.

He has not been a first-choice member of Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI this season, starting just 10 Premier League games, and claims a move to Brazil would be his preference at the end of the season.

Quoted in the Sun, he said: “I want to go back to Brazil. I still have a couple of good years of high-level football in me but I want to be near my kids. Ideally, I’d like to go after the World Cup and I’ve been talking to Chelsea about it.”

Deco developed his career in Europe after struggling to make the grade as a teenager in Brazil, and starred for both Porto and Barcelona before moving to Stamford Bridge.

The 32-year-old, born and raised in the state of Sao Paulo, could sign off by helping Chelsea win trophies at home and in Europe. Then he hopes to be given the all-clear to find a new club. He said: “It will all depend on Chelsea – if the club release me or let me go on loan.”

Top-flight clubs are turning to a money lender to buy players, pay off debts or simply survive and stave off the kind of predicament that has hit Portsmouth.

Peter Storrie revealed to Soccernet that one of the biggest problems was that the banks called in their £40 million loans, and in the recession clubs have turned to this unnamed money lender of some considerable wealth.

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan told Soccernet: “A private individual has loaned three Premier League clubs tens of millions. I am not going to name him or say exactly how much he has loaned the clubs, but it is a considerable amount.

“A very rich private individual is making these loans based on the clubs’ agreed payments from TV income. When we came to West Ham, we found that the club had sold its season tickets for two years in advance.

“We are also aware that financial institutions are buying up football debt at big discounts. One such financial institution bought some of the Portsmouth debt, but they are going to have to wait for their money now, if they ever get it all back.”

Sullivan, though, does not necessary feel that the Premier League is in the kind of perilous state that has been suggested following Portsmouth’s move into administration.

Much is made of the enormous debt at the top end of the Premier League, but Sullivan said: “Arsenal have just posted fantastic figures. Manchester United are the club most quoted as having the biggest debt, but big business does run on debt – look at Marks & Spencer.

“Chelsea and Manchester City can be taken out of the equation because their owners are running those clubs as hobbies.

“The real pressure is down the bottom, where the lesser clubs fear the financial effects of relegation, when whole income flows are no longer guaranteed if they go down. It creates sheer panic.

“That is why I would like to see a full parachute payment for the first season and half for the following two seasons. I have not advocated it, but it makes more sense to me. The fear factor at the bottom has to be addressed, because it is down there that clubs are pushing the financial panic button, and that leaves them wide open to doing things they might not wish to do.”

Van der Sar, 39, will now remain at Old Trafford until June 2011 and said: “I still feel good and am enjoying my football.”

Van der Sar suffered two lengthy absences before being granted compassionate leave just before Christmas when his wife Annemarie suffered a brain haemorrhage.

He said: “This is a great club and I was shown a great deal of compassion and support during a difficult time in December and January for which I am extremely grateful. I am looking forward to winning more trophies with this great team.”

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was thrilled to tie up his first-choice goalkeeper for another year.

Ferguson told the club’s official website: “Edwin’s professionalism and dedication to his job and the way he looks after himself has given him the longevity in the game.

“That longevity includes such great experience not just at United, but at Juventus, Ajax and on an international level. We are absolutely delighted he is continuing for another year.”