Kevin Keegan OBE

Bill Shankly’s £35,000 swoop for Kevin Keegan from Scunthorpe in May 1971 proved one of the shrewdest transfer moves ever. He was signed as a midfielder and potential replacement for long-serving Ian Callaghan.

But Kevins sparkling display up front in a pre-season practice match persuaded Shankly to plunge him into his debut alongside John Toshack in attack at the start of the 1971-72 season.

He scored after just 12 minutes, Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 and another epoch in Anfield history had begun. The confident recruit, born in Armthorpe near Doncaster, hit big-time football like a whirlwind.

His potent, trophy-capturing alliance with Toshack became feared throughout England and Europe before Kevin joined Hamburg for £500,000 in 1977, going on to become European Player of the Year twice.

He scored 100 Liverpool goals and said farewell by helping to win their first European Cup with a 3-1 conquest of Borussia Moenchengladbach in Rome and he was capped 63 times by England.

Later he played for Southampton and Newcastle – whom he also managed – received an OBE and in 1999 became England manager.