Beckham lifts lid on ‘scary’ situation as Salford left in ‘serious trouble’

DAVID BECKHAM has opened up on the "scary" situation that forced Salford City to make a change to avoid "serious trouble".

Salford entered a new era of ownership in May when a fresh consortium took over after over 10 years under the guidance of the 'Class of 92'.

3 David Beckham has opened up about how he and Gary Neville changed the fortuned of Salford City Credit: Reuters

Nicky Butt , Ryan Giggs , Phil Neville and Paul Scholes all relinquished their ownership of the club alongside majority shareholder Peter Lim to make way for Neville and Beckham's new consortium.

Neville, who has been heavily involved in the League Two club since his initial investment in 2014, reached out to Becks for help when he felt things were heading in a downwards spiral.

The pair brought in businessmen Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies to build the new ownership group, which now stands at 23 investors and partners such as AIG and Coca-Cola .

Beckham has opened up on the changes in an interview with The Athletic , explaining he was "concerned" when Neville came to him for help.

He said: "I very rarely panic but when Gary came to me and said ‘OK, this is the situation, we need to find a way of saving the club’, I was concerned.

“For him more than anyone, because Gary committed to Salford from day one.

"I’ve spent a lot of time there but I know what it means to him. I know what the people in the club mean to him. I know what the fans mean to him.

"For him to say, ‘we need to sort this out’… He very rarely burdens me with anything, so I knew this was something we had to fix."

3 Beckham and Neville had success together during their playing days at Man Utd Credit: Getty

Salford were given two years to raise around £10m to bring the club back to a healthier position due to contractual obligations to staff and high running costs.

Beckham revealed that they had raised the capital in less than five months, actually bringing in between £22.3m and £30m thanks to the new group "wanting to invest more than expected".

The former England and Real Madrid star revealed that the eager investment left Neville emotional.

He added: "When we reached that [figure], Gary got really emotional. That’s what it means to him and it’s the passion you want.

"If we hadn’t have done it, the club would have been in serious trouble.”

Beckham, who is also part-owner of Inter Miami in the MLS , will attend Salford's game against Swindon Town today alongside other members of the ownership group.

Declan Kelly, who is going to be heavily involved going forward, knows that the hard work doesn't stop here.

He explained to The Athletic: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

"We know that we’re going to get punched in the face along the way. We run businesses globally and are prepared for whatever comes our way.

"We’re not here for a day, a week, a month. We’re here for years and we’re very committed. It’s going to be a hell of a journey.

“We’re very ambitious but we also understand that you take it one step at a time.

"We’re going to get an outsized amount of attention because of who’s involved but we’ll deal with that and chart our own course.”

3 Salford have started well this season in League Two Credit: Alamy