David Beckham's departure from Manchester United left many fans heartbroken but former team-mate Gary Neville claims he was 'relieved' to see the midfielder go.
The feted Reds No.7 moved to Real Madrid in 2003 after his infamous dressing room bust-up with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, report the Manchester Evening News.
Fergie kicked a boot into the face of the midfielder as the relationship between the pair deteriorated.
Beckham went on to play for Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain but remains a United fan.
Neville, who stayed at Old Trafford his whole playing career, is still close friends with the former England captain and has opened up about his emotions following his pal's exit in an interview with StrettyNewsTV .
"I knew it was coming to an end a little bit from the previous 12 months," Neville said. "I was aware of the things that were going on behind the scenes.
"I was disappointed when he left but I was also disappointed when Nicky Butt left. I was disappointed when my brother left, I was disappointed when Roy Keane left and I was disappointed when Denis Irwin left. They were a massive part of our lives and our careers at United.
"It wasn't just the lads around me - David, Phil and Nicky and such like. When a player of that magnitude left there was a void. They're a big miss.
“To be honest with you, at the time ‘sad’ probably wasn’t the right word.
“I was probably relieved a little bit. For him, for the club - it could never end badly, that relationship. David had done so much for the club and the club had done so much for David."
Neville was happy to Beckham fulfil has ambitions, adding: “He always harboured this hope of playing abroad, I think, and playing in European football.
“Looking at what he’s done in his career now: playing at Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Manchester United, LA Galaxy... it’s a great career. You can’t look at it and think that he was wrong. He’s richer for those experiences.
“His time had probably come at United where he was right to leave. There was a bit of me that was relieved that that tension, that little bit of an underlying thing that was there had gone.
“He was a brilliant player and I loved playing with him.”
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