Fergie and Yorke are friends reunited as United boss backs bid to raise £50k

But the former Manchester United striker – who was sold by the club when there was intense focus on his lively private life - insists that the Scot does not hold grudges.

'We had moments and if you step off the mark you get punished,' said Yorke, who was sold to Blackburn For £2.6million in 2002 after four years at United.

'If you don't stay within the boundaries of what United expect of you, you have to move on. When your time is up, that is it.

'But Sir Alex doesn't hold anything against you - or he would have a few things against me!'

Yorke had joined United for £12.6m from Aston Villa in 2008 and given great service. He scored 66 goals in 152 games in total but was frozen out of the side in his final year as his relationship with model Jordan and party-boy lifestyle put him on the wrong side of Ferguson.

Yet today Yorke insists the pair are close and reveals the United manager has even agreed to pay £1,000 in sponsorship for the striker's Virgin London Marathon attempt.

'The perception is that we fell out, but I still get Christmas cards from him,' said Yorke. 'I go to training in the United camp from time to time. Sometimes I still think I am a player and the manager has been exceptional towards me, inviting me there.

'I watch the team change, talk to Sir Alex and it is great. We have a glass of wine after a game if I am there.

'On top of that he is donating £1,000 to the run and most of the United players are contributing as well.'

Yorke is running the marathon to raise money for the Vision Charity, which works for the benefit of blind and visually impaired children and has supported the son he had with Jordan, Harvey.

Ferguson is not the only notable football personality backing his effort to raise £50,000, former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis has pledged £1,000 too.

But that does not mean the United boss does not hold grudges, just that some of them whither over time. Beckham and Stam are not Fergie's foes in the way they were any more either but you get the impression, with the former England captain at least, that their differences are more forgotten than forgiven.

However, Yorke will not hear a word said against his former manager, who is currently serving a touchline ban for his latest outburst against a referee. The TV pundit evidently takes some responsibility for their falling out too, suggesting his tendency to do everything 'full-on' has meant some of his more tabloid moments have overshadowed his on-field achievements.

'There is no half-hearted stuff with me,' said Yorke. 'If I have a night out, I have a good time. If I play football, I do it as well as I can. There is no in between.

'But people don't praise my football because they see the other aspect. You don't get to play for United and win trophies like I did without putting the effort in.

'That is the big disappointment me for me. Those things are in the record books and you can't take them away.'

Those things, as he describes them, were 29 goals in 48 games as United won the treble in 1999. They wrote his name into the club's folklore and even though he never got anywhere near those heights again, it was an impressive peak to reach.

These days Yorke still loves his football and does some work for Sky. He likes a night out too - spending a week of his training period at a Caribbean carnival this month - but he insists he has not let his body go two years into his retirement.

'Maybe I could finish the marathon in three hours if I do well,' he said as he prepared for his first test over 26.2 miles.

'I have always done reasonably well with endurance work. Even as a player I did well in the distance running. I have looked after myself since I retired and am always in the gym at home.'

Does that mean Yorke will be pounding London's streets on 17 April with a trademark smile from ear to ear?

'I am sure there will be the odd grimace along the way,' he said. 'But at the beginning and, hopefully, the end, it will be there.'

To contribute to Yorke's fundraising effort, go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DwightYorke

Adidas are the official kit supplier for the Virgin London Marathon and will donate £40 to the chosen charities of runners who wear their trainers on the day, have an active Virgin Money Giving account and register.

For more information, go to www.adidas.com/londonmarathon