Former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle has revealed he tried to sign former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Before Beckham became an iconic footballer and personality, he was sent out on loan to Preston by the club during the early stages of his United career.

In response to claims made that he was once jealous of Beckham, Hoodle, in his new book ‘Playmaker: My Life and the Love of Football’, wrote how he tried to sign the former England captain for the Blues, and also revealed his admiration for him.

“My way was never to tell someone that they weren’t good enough or couldn’t pull off a certain skill,” Hoddle wrote in the book, which was serialised in the Guardian.

“I encouraged my team to play with freedom.

“It makes me laugh when I hear that I was jealous of David Beckham’s fame.

“This is a player I wanted to sign on loan at Chelsea.

“I gave him his England debut. David’s technique was incredible and I’ve never seen anyone cross the ball as well as him.”