George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton are to be honoured with a statue at Old Trafford.

When George Best passed away almost 12 months ago, supporters triggered calls for some kind of permanent recognition of his achievements to be erected at Old Trafford, and the club have decided to honour the legendary trio.

At present the only statue in the vicinity of the ground is that of Sir Matt Busby, although a clock is also attached to the East Stand in honour of the victims of the Munich air tragedy in 1958.

Best, Law and Charlton were a major part of United's success during the 1960s - during which time they won two league titles and the European Cup in 1968.  The trio played a combined 1633 games for the club, scoring 665 goals between them.

"The club has been looking at how to commemorate its great figures for some time," said David Gill.

"Too often, we feel we have to wait until our heroes have passed away to recognise their talent."

"Manchester United is proud of its heritage and we believe that this statue will be evidence of that. The fact it will be on Sir Matt Busby Way could not be more appropriate."

Gill added: "We are very excited that this statue will honour the efforts not only of George Best, whose death came tragically early in his life, but also two of the game's finest forwards - Denis Law and Bobby Charlton.

World famous sculptor Philip Jackson has been chosen to create the statue, which will take 18 months, although the precise location has yet to be determined.