Bringing the colour to United's past

Trawling through the archives, the book brings together iconic and rarely seen black-and-white photographs and expertly colourises them, showing scenes just as they would have been witnessed first-hand at the time.

The collaboration between the club and colourisation expert Andy Imrie, also known as AndythephotoDr on social media platforms, charts the rise of Manchester United from a team of railway workers to the biggest name in football through over 200 stunning images.

From the carriage work sheds of Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway to Sir Matt Busby leading the team to become the greatest club side in Europe, the book breathes new life into the Reds' epic history.

The image on this story shows United’s return to Old Trafford (24 August 1949) to take on Bolton Wanderers in the first competitive match at the stadium since before the Second World War.

After the destruction of the main stand by German bombs in March 1941, the Reds had used Manchester City’s Maine Road for home matches until the end of the 1948/49 season.

There was no roof over the new main stand yet, in fact there were only three small covered sections in the whole ground, but being back home was something to celebrate. And the 41,748 crowd did just that as Matt Busby’s first home match ended with a 3-0 victory for the Reds – thanks to an own goal, a Charlie Mitten penalty and a Jack Rowley header.

You can order Old Manchester United in Colour from United Direct by clicking here or look out for it in all good book stores.

It could prove a perfect Christmas present for the Red in your life!