Club saddened by loss of Maurice Setters

The former wing-half made 194 appearances for the Reds following his transfer from West Bromwich Albion in January 1960, enjoying his finest moment for United as part of the famous FA Cup-winning side of 1963, which secured our vital first post-Munich trophy with that Wembley victory over Leicester City.

Devon-born Setters had come through the ranks at local side Exeter City before making his name in the top flight with West Brom. He signed for United for £30,000, with Matt Busby looking for a replacement for Wilf McGuinness who had recently broken his leg, and his feisty and combative style made him a key player during a transitional period for the club.

A popular member of the squad – he struck up a close friendship with Bobby Charlton and was best man at Charlton’s wedding in 1961 – Setters quickly became club captain.

By the time of that FA Cup final victory in 1963, Setters had passed on the armband to Noel Cantwell but he still had a big part to play for the Reds, making 46 appearances in total in the 1963/64 season as United finished second in the league to Liverpool. However, the emergence of Nobby Stiles saw his first-team opportunities restricted in the following campaign, and Setters moved to Stoke City in November, 1964.

Following his retirement as a player – having enjoyed further spells with Coventry City and Charlton Athletic – he had three-and-a-half years as manager of Doncaster Rovers before linking up with Jack Charlton, initially in a partnership as Jack’s assistant at Sheffield Wednesday. Setters’ nine years as Jack’s right-hand man with Republic of Ireland will provide particularly vivid memories for United’s army of fans across the Irish Sea, with the pair helping to lead Ireland to their first World Cup finals in Italia 90 and repeating the feat with the next tournament in the USA in 1994.

We send our condolences to Maurice’s family and friends at this difficult time – rest in peace.