found it harder and harder to leave out the powerful young forward.

A month later Charlton scored twice in United’s 3-3 draw against Partizan Belgrade as the Babes sealed a place in the semi-finals of the European Cup. It was on their return that disaster struck, and Charlton was among those injured. His wounds were relatively minor, however, and he was back in action within a month.

Charlton proved an integral component of the post-Munich rebuilding, plying his trade across the field while the rest of the side was reconstructed. A permanent switch to a deep-lying forward role brought the best from him, and he was vital

as United won the league championships in 1965 and 1967.

Those successes flanked international glory with England. Shortly before the 1966 World Cup, Charlton was named Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year in quick succession. He went on to play a starring role as Alf Ramsey’s side won the tournament, scoring twice in the semi-final win over Portugal. Charlton went on to win 106 caps – three as captain - and is still England’s record goalscorer with 49 goals.

Although winning the World Cup is seen as the pinnacle of achievement in football, Charlton’s finest hour at club