Manchester United have reportedly been given the green light to build a statue of Welsh icon Jimmy Murphy at Old Trafford.
Murphy is best known for being Sir Matt Busby's assistant manager at United between 1946 and 1971, during which the club had to endure and then rebuild from the horrors of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958.
Murphy, who was born in and raised in Pentre in the Rhondda, was instrumental in bringing through the famous Busby Babes, a team led by the indomitable Sir Bobby Charlton, who won the European Cup in 1968, the first of United's three triumphs in that tournament.
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And now, the Daily Mail report that United have been granted permission by the council to build a statue of one of their most iconic figures. The statue of the former Wales manager will be in the middle of the back of the Stretford End, looking out to the area where Murphy used to train the United players.
The statue will be built by award-winning Scottish sculptor Alan Herriot and the club hope to unveil it by the end of the season, according to the report.
The addition of Murphy will become the latest statue at Old Trafford, which already has sculpted homages to Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law.
While clearly an icon at United, he is also revered for his time in the Wales dugout. In fact, the last time Wales were in a World Cup, in 1958, it was Murphy who was manager.
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As a kid, Murphy turned out for Ton Pentre Boys, Treorchy Thursday F.C., Treorchy Juniors and Mid-Rhondda Boys before turning professional with West Brom in 1928. He would go on to play for Swindon Town and earned 15 caps for Wales as a wing half.
He passed away in 1989 at the age of 79.
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