Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is confident another Beckham generation is on its way.

He accepts the homegrown production line has not been as prolific in recent times but he is confident that will change.

"A few years ago the requirement was brought in that you could only sign young players that lived within an hour-and-a-half radius of the club's headquarters.

"It wasn't like that before, which was how we were able to sign such fantastic young lads.

"As a result, we started to bring in very talented players from abroad and we've had success that way.

"But it's true, in terms of developing players from within the club, it's been a long time since we produced a player of David Beckham's calibre.

"But the legislation changed again a short while back and it'll be like it was 15 years ago once more, so I'm very optimistic we'll be able to get the production line we had in the past going again."