Tributes were paid from players past and present when she died, including from the club’s all-time leading goal scorer Wayne Rooney, who described her as “the heart and soul of Manchester United”.

David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ruben Amorim and Bruno Fernandes were among those to pay their respects to Manchester United's "one-woman institution" Kath Phipps

And David Beckham was there as well. The former England skipper went to see Phipps in her last days, to say a personal goodbye to a woman who devoted virtually her entire life to Manchester United. She was still busying herself at the training ground into last year, even though she was frail and a shadow of the bubbly, fun character she had been.

Sir Alex Ferguson, along with former and current Manchester United players like David Beckham, paid tribute to Kath Phipps, former club receptionist, at a funeral service on Monday. Phipps, who served the club for 56 years,

The funeral of long-serving Manchester United training ground receptionist Kath Phipps is set to take place in the city this afternoon. Ms Phipps, from Irlam in Salford, passed away last December at the age of 85.

Sir Alex Ferguson, along with former and current Manchester United players like David Beckham, paid tribute to Kath Phipps, former club receptionist, at a funeral service on Monday.