Obituary of former Man Utd defender Bobby Noble

Noble, a defender born in nearby Stockport, made 33 appearances for Sir Matt Busby’s side between the years of 1966 and 1967 and seemed to be on the cusp of lasting greatness when his burgeoning career was ended by a cruel road accident in the early spring of 1967.

The 21-year-old was newly entrenched in Busby’s exhilarating side which was on the verge of securing their second league title in three years and pundits were queueing to hail him as the best young full-back in Britain.

Indeed, John Doherty, the former Busby Babe renowned as the shrewdest footballing sage on the Manchester scene, went further in his praise. He declared in hindsight that Noble had the credentials to become the Reds’ finest-ever flank defender.

Given that would have lifted the rookie above the eminent likes of John Carey, John Aston Snr, Roger Byrne, Tony Dunne, Denis Irwin, Patrice Evra and more, that was a staggering statement of belief.