David Beckham propelled Manchester United to a 2-1 Champions League victory over Juventus at Old Trafford on Wednesday night with manager Sir Alex Ferguson insisting he never contemplated leaving the England skipper out of his side.

Against Juventus, Beckham emphasised his value to the Red Devils' cause by providing the crosses converted by Wes Brown and Ruud van Nistelrooy which gave United the win which almost certainly assures them of a quarter-final spot for the seventh successive season.

``There was never any doubt about it, why wouldn't I pick him?'' Ferguson bristled when asked if Beckham's place had been under threat.

``People have misunderstood the situation - but that's the British way. My best team picks itself.''

While Ferguson may detest the constant media intrusion into his management methods, there will be few critics waiting to condemn him for this victory.

In between Brown's third-minute header and van Nistelrooy's impressive late volley - incredibly his 21st European goal for the club in less than two full seasons - United were forced onto the defensive for long periods but never looked like cracking.

``Over the years in Europe we have improved tactically,'' said Ferguson. ``We stay on our feet when we are tackling and we keep our discipline. Juventus probably deserved more than they got but we brought all that experience to bear on the game and that is why they didn't create many chances.

"Ruud's goal was fantastic. If you look at it again, he showed great movement off the ball, had to spin round to get there and then the delicate touch to finish it off.

``His goalscoring ratio in Europe is unbelievable. In the last few weeks he has got better and better and I am really pleased for him.''

Pavel Nedved ensured a nervous last couple of minutes for the home team with a late consolation but with FC Basle beating Deportivo La Coruna in Switzerland this evening, United now have a five-point cushion at the top of Group D and would probably still qualify even if they lost all their remaining games.

``We are in an excellent position now,'' admitted the United chief. ``I didn't expect Basle to win because they are coming out of their winter break but it was a good result for us. We only need a point now and hopefully we will get that next week.''



Juventus will certainly be hoping to field a far stronger side in next Tuesday's rematch at the Stadio delle Alpi. Coach Marcello Lippi was forced to leave five men at home with flu, then lost Lilian Thuram to the virus this morning and finally skipper Antonio Conte to a calf strain in the warm-up.

``There are some games which give a team more strength no matter what the result,'' said Lippi.

``We were not in as strong a position as we could have been but our performance should send a message to the players.

``I agree with Alex Ferguson, I always agree with him - we should have got something out of the game.

``But now this Juventus team can start to believe in itself and hopefully on Tuesday we will have a few more players to choose from.''