Obituary: Gordon McQueen (1952-2023)

It was impossible to miss Gordon, either on a football field or in a dressing room. A giant of a man with a shock of vigorous blond hair, the Scottish international centre-half stood out in the heat of the action like a blazing beacon on a dark night.

When he was at his best and free of injury he oozed command and charisma at the heart of the Manchester United rearguard, while, as an inspirational morale-booster, he brought wicked humour and an unquenchable bonhomie, which endeared him to team-mates like few others.

McQueen, who became Britain’s most expensive footballer when he joined the Reds from Leeds for £495,000 in February 1978, was that entertaining rarity: a swashbuckling defensive…