David Beckham secretly visited beloved Man Utd receptionist in ‘incredibly emotional moment’ before she died

DAVID Beckham paid a secret visit to Man United’s beloved receptionist Kath Phipps before she died.

He was among a host of club legends to pay heartfelt tribute to Kath, 85 — an Old Trafford employee for 56 years.

Alongside a photo of them holding hands, Becks, 49, wrote: “I moved up to Manchester at 15 and Kath made a promise to my mum and dad, ‘I’ll look after your boy for you, don’t you worry’.

“And from that first day till the last day I spent with her, that’s exactly what she did.”

Becks added on Instagram: “Old Trafford will never be the same without your smile as we walk through those doors. We love you.”

Becks travelled to her home two weeks before she passed away.

A source told The Sun: “David made it his mission to go to see Kath at home.

“It was an incredibly emotional moment.”

In Netflix series Beckham, she said she found bullets in letters sent to him after his 1998 World Cup red card.

After Kath’s death was announced on Thursday, ex-Old Trafford star Wayne Rooney called her the club’s “heart and soul” while his team-mate Rio Ferdinand said she was “incredibly selfless”.

United fan Kath started out as a switchboard operator for the club in the 1960s.

Latterly, she was receptionist at the Carrington training complex.

She said last year: “I don’t think I’ve had one cross word with anybody in all the years I’ve been here.

"I look forward to coming in and having a smile on my face every day.”