One in the eye for Becks: Ferguson admits he put the boot in

Last year it was David Beckham's foot that dominated front pages – now it is his eyebrow. Only this time it was not an over-zealous Argentinian defender that sent the England and Manchester United icon in search of urgent medical treatment but his own manager.

The relationship between Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson, the high lord of Old Trafford, has always been said to be strained because the stratospheric profile of British football's most famous individual grated with his manager's "team-first" ethos. But on Saturday it was stretched to the limit when Sir Alex, after watching United be knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal, stormed into the home dressing room and kicked an errant boot that just happened to hurtle into Beckham's face.

Two stitches were needed on the gashed left eyebrow of the midfielder, who then reportedly stormed out of the ground, 25 minutes before the rest of his team-mates.

Initially, United refused to confirm the tabloid reports of the incident, saying: "Whatever happens in the dressing room remains private."

And then Sir Alex broke the silence by admitting his wayward shot. "It's one of those freak acts of nature. It's over, what a freak, and it'll never happen again," he said.

The pair have fallen out before, including a time when Sir Alex ordered Beckham from the training ground after he missed a practice session to look after his son Brooklyn.

Since that incident, the irascible manager and his gifted protégé were believed to have patched things up between them. However, the only thing being patched up yesterday was Beckham's eyebrow.