David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson among mourners at funeral of Man Utd legend Kath Phipps
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Manchester United players past and present have turned out in force to mourn the loss of club legend Kath Phipps. The long-serving receptionist died aged 85 at the start of December, prompting an outpouring of tributes. Kath spent 56 years working for United, having first joined the club in September 1968 when Sir Matt Busby was in charge.
Having started out as a switchboard operator, she ended up working on the reception at Old Trafford's director's entrance, as well as the entrance to the training ground at Carrington. Kath was beloved by the players and Sir Alex Ferguson, who understood the huge contribution she made to United.
Ferguson was among those who turned out at Manchester Cathedral on Monday afternoon to pay his respects and was chosen to give a eulogy. The former United manager was joined by David Beckham, his mum Sandra and dad Ted, as well as fellow ex-players Roy Keane, Mark Hughes, Peter Schmeichel, Gary Pallister, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Bryan Robson, Denis Irwin, Phil Jones and John O’Shea.
The current team were also present at the sombre occasion, with manager Ruben Amorim seen leading in the squad alongside captain Bruno Fernandes and long-serving player Jonny Evans. Beckham was particularly close to Kath and visited her last year before she passed away. He penned an emotional post on social media to explain her importance to the club.
He wrote: "Forever in our hearts... The first and last face I would always see was Kath sat at reception at Old Trafford waiting to give me my tickets for the game , she was the heartbeat of Manchester United, everyone knew who Kath was and everyone adored her.
