Former Manchester United manager Frank O'Farrell dies aged 94
Former Manchester United manager Frank O’Farrell has died at the age of 94.
O’Farrell, best known as the man who succeeded Sir Matt Busby as United manager, took on the team for 18 months in 1971.
But, after a promising start, which saw United top the table for the first time in three years, the Irishman fell out with star player George Best and the Red Devils ended the season in eighth.
In a statement the club said, while his tenure was an "undulating affair" there was "no shred of doubt he was a talented manager and a man of unimpeachable integrity".
O'Farrell also guided Leicester to the 1969 FA Cup final during his three-year spell in charge of the Foxes, and had a successful career at Torquay United.
O’Farrell was a wing-half who played for his native Cork, West Ham and Preston, winning nine caps for the Republic of Ireland between 1952 and 1959.
He began his managerial career at Weymouth in 1961 and spent three years at Torquay before landing the Leicester job in 1968.
O’Farrell led Leicester to Wembley the following year, where they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City, and the Foxes were relegated from the first division three weeks later.
Leicester returned to the top flight as second division champions in 1971 and O’Farrell was quickly appointed as Busby’s successor.
But, after just 18 months, in December 1972, he was sacked as United sat third-from-bottom of Division One.
He would later manager Cardiff, the Iran national team and United Arab Emirates club Al-Shaab, as well having two further spells in charge of Torquay.
Manchester United said: "Everybody at Manchester United is deeply saddened to learn that our former manager, Frank O’Farrell, has died. He was 94.
"While Frank’s 18-month reign at the United helm was an undulating affair, there is no shred of doubt that he was a talented manager and a man of unimpeachable integrity.
"The abiding frustration is what might have been. At the time of his exit shortly before Christmas 1972, the dignified, softly spoken Irishman’s Old Trafford sojourn could be described as a tale of two vividly contrasting autumns.
"He lamented the fact that he had not been give more time to implement a long-term project at Old Trafford and, while we will never know how that might have turned out, we do know that we will always be grateful for his willingness to take the tiller at such a tricky point in the club’s history.
"Staff at United send their condolences to Frank's family and friends at this difficult time."