A former Manchester United player has lifted the lid on what really happened in the dressing room between Sir David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson

It was one of the most infamous episodes in modern football history - the world's most decorated manager and most famous player going head-to-head in the dressing room.

That is what unfolded when Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a boot onto the head of Sir David Beckham in 2003 following Manchester United's disappointing FA Cup defeat to rivals Arsenal. The England winger was later photographed sporting a gash above his left eyebrow, and departed Old Trafford for Real Madrid just a few months later.

The incident left the United squad utterly shell-shocked. Among those present was then-United defender Mikael Silvestre, who has since shared his own recollections of the extraordinary clash.

Speaking to the 'Call Yourself A Fan' podcast, he said: "It's one of those moments that's surreal, it was a moment of madness that you don't expect. The gaffer was a striker when he was a player and he kept the accuracy! The speed wasn't there, but the class and accuracy was still there!

"He kicked a pile of boots just after the game while he was having a go at David and it ended up landing on his head where he had a cut. It was a crazy moment that you don't expect to happen. They almost clashed and some players had to stand between them and separate the two of them. They didn't speak for quite some time after that.

"Normally it’s quite lively after the games, there's food and players watch TV or play music. But they had never seen anything like this happen before. We couldn't understand what happened. It was crazy."

Silvestre served under Sir Alex for nine years between 1999 and 2008. During that time, the club won the English Premier League five times and the Frenchman left as a Champions League winner, following a win over Chelsea in the 2008 final.

Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources.

Reflecting on his first encounter with Sir Alex, he said: "He picked me up from the airport and he spoke a bit of French. Or tried to. It was a mix of broken French and Scottish! I tried to understand. We had a good conversation but it was a long ride to the hotel!"

Silvestre would later join Arsenal, then under the management of Arsene Wenger. The Gunners had been United's main rivals in the late 90s and early 00s, with Sir Alex and Wenger frequently at loggerheads.

The pair seemed to be complete opposites, with Sir Alex hailing from a working-class background in Glasgow and representing the 'old-school' British manager. In contrast, the softly-spoken and well-mannered Wenger introduced fresh, modern ideas from France, revolutionising Arsenal, and English football, along the way.

According to Silvestre, both men lived up to their reputations behind the scenes: "The difference between the two is day and night. The biggest difference between the two was how Sir Alex would employ the hairdryer, while Arsene would be the opposite.

"He would take a day to cool down, analyse the game and the next day he would tell you what he thought about the game and your performance. Completely different management styles but both worked."