Man Utd set to award Hollywood star with league title winners' medal

16 April 2023 , 07:33

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Ian McShane will represent his late father before a Manchester United game next season (Image: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Hollywood star Ian McShane is set to be awarded a championship medal by Manchester United - 71 years after his dad helped Sir Matt Busby 's team win the title.

McShane, who featured in blockbuster films Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, John Wick and Captain Hook, will be invited to represent his late father Harry at a special Old Trafford ceremony after United made a successful appeal to the EFL. McShane senior made 12 appearances when United were crowned champions in 1952 and scored the winning goal in the 2-1 Manchester derby victory at rivals City.

But Football League rules in the days when there were no substitutes, stipulated that players had to feature in 14 games to receive a medal. Those regulations have now been changed - and clubs can apply to have former players formally recognised retrospectively if they played a minimum of five games.

Harry McShane helped Manchester United win the old First Division title in 1952 (Dennis Oulds/Central Press/Getty Images)

Several clubs, including Manchester City, Tottenham, Everton and Wolves, have already sourced medals after research undertaken by football historian Ian Ross. Now United have done the same after an exhaustive investigation into the club’s playing records revealed that 20 players are now due a total of 23 medals.

McShane passed away at the age of 92 in 2012. But medals can be granted posthumously and his United-mad son will now be asked to collect a priceless piece of silverware on his behalf. United are planning to stage an awards ceremony before a Premier League game at Old Trafford next season so that the former players and their families can be given the reception they deserve by 75,000 fans.

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Only eight of the 20 players who will be honoured are still alive. David Gaskell, the goalkeeper who became United’s youngest-ever player when he kept a clean sheet on his debut in the Charity Shield win over Manchester City at Maine Road in 1956, will receive two medals.

Gaskell, 82, who was originally scheduled to be on the plane that crashed in Munich killing eight of his team-mates in 1958 until a late change to the United squad, featured in the title-winning teams of 1965 and 1967. He now lives in Wrexham but has been informed that the medals will soon be in his possession.

Geoff Bent, the Salford-born full-back who lost his life at Munich at the age of 25, played six games when the Busby Babes were champions in 1957. Albert Scanlon, the Manchester-born winger who survived the crash at Munich, also missed out on two medals in 1956 and 1957. Scanlon passed away in 2009 and the medals will now be presented to his family.

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An Old Trafford source confirmed: “The medals are currently in production and are due to be delivered in the coming weeks. It will be the biggest award of backdated medals by any club and we are proud to be able to honour these great players for the part they played in Manchester United’s success.”

Seven of the squad that helped the Reds win the old second division title in 1975 will be honoured - including former England winger Steve Coppell.

Full list of medal winners to be awarded

• 1952 first division champions: Harry McShane, Jack Crompton, Frank Clempson.
• 1956 first division champions: Fred Goodwin, Albert Scanlon.
• 1957 first division champions: Geoff Bent, Fred Goodwin, Colin Webster, Albert Scanlon.
• 1965 first division champions: David Sadler, David Gaskell, Maurice Setters.
• 1967 first division champions: Shay Brennan, John Connolly, David Gaskell, Jimmy Ryan.
• 1975 second division champions: Tony Young, Jim Holton, Steve James, Arnie Sidebottom, Steve Coppell, Mick Martin, Ron Davies.

Simon Mullock