Cheeky Man Utd fans mocked transfer move with ‘Bend it like Gary Neville’ banner

David Beckham's untimely Manchester United exit led a group of fans to unveil a 'Bend it like Gary Neville' banner.

Golden Balls departed Old Trafford in June 2003 following his falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson, which had peaked in February of that year when he infamously had a boot kicked at him by his boss.

He headed to Real Madrid early on in that summer's transfer window, meaning he missed United's planned pre-season trip to the United States.

While Premier League teams flock across the Atlantic every 12 months these days, back then visiting the US was a rarity – meaning fans stateside were left disappointed they wouldn't be seeing Becks in action.

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Some made light of the situation, though, when Fergie's side faced Mexican club Club America in their second match of the tour at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 26.

They replaced Beckham's name in the title of the movie based on his free-kick technique, which had been released worldwide the year before, with right-back Neville – who took over from him on set-piece duties.

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The now Sky Sports pundit didn't actually feature in the matchday squad, but his brother Phil started as United won 3-1 thanks to goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Diego Forlan (two).

The fans, who were situated at the front of the crowd, managed to get their banner signed by several of the players. Coincidentally, Bend It Like Beckham star Keira Knightly went on to reveal her love of G Nev in 2014.

She told The Telegraph: "He is just f***ing amazing! Absolutely f***ing amazing! His commentary… Well, it's just amazing. He's amazing. They've added loads of other [pundits] alongside him now, but I preferred it when it was pure Gary Neville."

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