Tommy Taylor

Tommy Taylor ran through brick walls to score goals and woe betide any centre half who got in the way. He could out-jump the opposition to create chances and steal the winner. Taylor only played 19 times for England but there would have been many more had it not been for the tragedy at Munich that robbed him of his life at only 26. One of England's all-time great goal-scorers, a look at his games-to goals record shows he averaged well over a goal every two games.

His greatest ability was for aerial combat, in which he was the best in the land. Towering above other players Taylor could propel the ball with his forehead like a bullet and with supreme accuracy as well.

A physical giant of a player, he had excellent ball control and movement which made him and partner up front, Dennis Viollet, the Yorke and Cole of the 1950s. Taylor was also a brave and committed player who had buckets of stamina and drive to keep going for the whole 90 minutes.

Tommy began his football playing for a local coal mining team at the Colliery where he worked. At the age of 16, local scouts spotted his ability and gave him a chance with local side, Barnsley. After impressive displays up front for The Tykes, Tommy was brought to Old Trafford for what was a record fee of £29,999 - Matt Busby did not want him burdened with a £30,000 noose and gave the extra pound to a tea lady. Like a Dwight Yorke or Eric Cantona, United had got one hell of a bargain.

Taylor got off to a flier of a start and became a firm favorite of the fans and team-mates, scoring twice on his debut. By the end of the 1952/53 season he had 7 goals in just 11 games. With Taylor, United and the Busby Babes swept to two League titles in 1956 and 57 in a manner that captured the hearts and imaginations of football fans across Britain. Taylor also scored in the 1957 FA Cup final when United were denied the "Double" because of a terrible refereeing decision that left them with 10-men for most of the game.

In his 19 full international appearances he scored an amazing 16 goals. Many saw him as England's direct replacement for Bolton legend Nat Lofthouse. When Inter Milan made a whopping offer of £65,000 for Taylor in 1957, Busby refused to part with the him, as money just couldn't buy what Taylor was worth. When Taylor was killed at Munich in Feburary 1958 he was only 26, at the peak of his career. Nowadays, whenever the all-time greats are talked about, the name Tommy Taylor does not often appear, but in the history of Manchester United, he was a great player. One of the best forwards the club has ever seen, his career will be remembered in United history for a long time to come.