Beckham, who scored on his unexpected comeback for Real Madrid last Saturday, has been confirmed as a member of the European All-Star team which will play United in a jubilee match being staged to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Common Market, the forerunner of the European Union, and United's 50 years of European competition.

Beckham, Gerrard and Carragher have all been selected for the lineup and the former England captain, who has been dropped by national team coach Steve McClaren, will be returning to the ground where he had 11 successful seasons with Manchester United.

The European side will be managed by Italian World Cup winning manager Marcello Lippi, who is expected to include several members of his squad which lifted the trophy in Germany last summer.