Manchester United’s iconic Trinity helped the club soar to new heights in the 1960s. They also had a little help.
Located proudly on the Old Trafford forecourt is a statue in recognition of George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton. The club have promised to preserve it when United eventually build the new stadium.
Best (179), Law (237) and Charlton (249) scored a combined 665 goals for the club between them, truly phenomenal numbers.
Their recognition as elite players in football history is fully deserved, but there are players from their era whose contribution barely receive a mention.
Three forwards who made contributions to Sir Matt Busby‘s 1968 European Cup winning team deserve to be shouted about more.
John Aston Jr: The Man of the Match in the 1968 European Cup Final.
David Herd: Scored 145 goals for United (13th all-time)
Brian Kidd: The teenager who scored in a European Cup Final.
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John Aston Jr
John Aston Jr came through the club’s academy, and had a special family connection with the club.
His father John Aston Sr was a left-back who played under Sir Matt Busby between 1946 and 1954, winning the 1948 FA Cup and 1951/52 title.
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Aston Jr made his Manchester United debut in 1964, scoring in a 4-1 victory. He was only 17 at the time.
He played as a winger and was only 20 years-old when he lined up for the club in the European Cup Final against Benfica.
Aston Jr’s performance saw him pip more famous names to be awarded the man-of-the match, despite the heroics from Best and Charlton.
Benfica manager Otto Gabriel famously said: “I laid plans for coping with Best and Charlton and the other stars, but nobody warned me about this boy Aston.”
It was his combination of a desire to run at defenders while also tracking back to do defensive work that made him so valuable, and provided balance on the left with Best on the right.
Aston Jr made 187 appearances for United in total, scoring 27 goals. 11 of these came during the famous 1967/68 season.
David Herd - Manchester United black and white image
Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
David Herd
David Herd was one of two strikers Sir Matt Busby signed in the early 60s who he hoped would help transform the team. The second was Denis Law.
Herd joined United in 1961. He had established himself as a prolific scorer for Arsenal with 107 goals in 180 games.
He is the only player in history to score a century of goals for Arsenal and Manchester United, netting 145 for the Red Devils.
Herd actually played against the Busby Babes for the Gunners in the team’s final game in England before the Munich Disaster.
He became one of United’s top 15 all-time highest scorers, with his best season coming in 1965/66 where he struck 33 goals.
Herd famously scored two goals in the 1963 FA Cup Final against Leicester at Wembley, the club’s first trophy since Munich.
A broken leg meant he was only able to play eight games during the 1967/68 season, one of which was in the quarter-finals. His big contribution to the European Cup success really came in helping United qualify as league champions in 1966/67. He struck 18 goals that campaign.
Herd was a Scotland international, scoring three goals in the only five games he played for his country.
European Cup Final 1968
Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Brian Kidd
Injuries to Denis Law and David Herd meant that Busby called on teenager Brian Kidd to start up front against Benfica in the European Cup Final.
Kidd had only made his professional debut in 1967, immediately showing his scoring prowess with a goal in the Charity Shield.
The 1968 Cup Final took place on his 19th birthday, and his only other European goal had come in an earlier round against Sarajevo.
Kidd stepped up and scored the third goal in Manchester United’s 4-1 win, becoming the youngest ever scorer in a European Cup Final. It was a record that lasted until 1995, when it was broken by Ajax’s Patrick Kluivert.
He went on to score 70 goals in total for United in 266 games, before leaving for Arsenal in 1974 after the Red Devils were relegated. Kidd was capped by England twice, scoring once.
Kidd is better known today for his role as Sir Alex Ferguson’s trusted assistant manager between 1991 and 1998.
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