Before Ferguson's hairdryer came the 'blast furnace'

Sir Alex pays tribute to long-serving Man Utd receptionist

Manchester United stars past and present, including Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham have paid their respects at a funeral for Kath Phipps, a long-serving receptionist at the football club's training ground. Sir Alex called her a "fantastic person" and former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said "she was a very important person to me and everything that I believe Manchester United is or is supposed to be". Phipps passed away in December aged 85 after having worked for United for 55 years, possibly making her the longest-serving staff member in the club's history. Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn