Tony Dunne funeral procession.

Last respects paid to United legend Tony Dunne

Tuesday 23 June 2020 15:34

Tony Dunne's funeral cortege passed Old Trafford on Tuesday as Manchester United said farewell to one of our most loyal servants.

The Irish full-back made 535 appearances for the Reds – only seven men have played more times for the club.

After he sadly passed away earlier this month at the age of 78, the procession headed down Sir Matt Busby Way before the funeral took place at Manchester Crematorium.

Tony Dunne passes away

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Manchester United is saddened to hear that one of our most loyal servants, Tony Dunne, has died.

There will be a minute's silence held before the Reds' first home game after the restart, against Sheffield United, as a tribute to the Dublin-born defender, and a fans' banner in his honour is to be displayed at the front of East Stand Tier 2 on Wednesday.

United's players will also wear black armbands in his memory.

Former team-mate Paddy Crerand said of Tony in his United Review programme column: “United have had some great full-backs, but Tony was special. He was as quick as lightning, a great tackler. He wasn’t the biggest fella in the world, but he was great in the air as well. He was just a terrific footballer. If you ask any of the players that played in the same team, they’d agree with me.

"He was a little lad from Dublin, and very, very quiet. You never even knew he existed at times! But honestly, what a player. First and foremost, when you’re a full-back, your job is to defend, and he was an incredible defender. But he had great pace and a brain to go with it. Sometimes you find people have great pace but they’ve never had to use their brain. He did.

“You’d never get Tony booting the ball up the pitch, because he wasn’t capable of it, but he had myself and Bobby Charlton in the middle of the park. And the number of passes we got off Tony, you would not believe. Every time Tony got the ball, he was looking for one of us. You had outspoken people like myself and Nobby, George and Alex.

“You never knew Tony was there! But you knew he was on the pitch. He was just delighted to play for Manchester United, coming from Dublin where there was a massive support for United. I knew he had been unwell for some time. It’s always a blow when one of your old team-mates dies. It’s just very sad. But unfortunately we all get old."

A piper leads the procession down Sir Matt Busby Way.

Tony, of course, was part of the European Cup-winning team in 1968, as Matt Busby's men became the first English side to lift the famous trophy, following a 4-1 extra-time victory over Benfica at Wembley.

Supporters paid their last respects to Dunne and flowers were left outside Old Trafford, and our thoughts remain with his family and friends at this difficult time.

 

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