Denis Law - the Manchester United legend 'who could face a lion'

New documentary 'The Lawman' looks at the life of one of the greatest Scottish players of all time

Denis Law attends the funeral of former Manchester United player Bill Foulkes at St Vincent De Paul RC Church, Altrincham, Cheshire. Getty

Manchester United's Denis Law beats Leicester goalkeeper Gordon Banks during the FA Cup final at Wembley in 1963. Getty

Denis Law clears the ball from Andy McEvoy at Ewood Park in 1965. Getty

Denis Law, accompanied by George Best's manager Phil Hughes, leaves London's Cromwell Hospital in 2005. PA

Denis Law takes a breather in front of fans and photographers in 1965. Getty

Denis Law and Sir Alex Ferguson outside St Patrick's Parish Church, Coleraine after the funeral of former Manchester United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg. Getty

Denis Law during the Arsenal-Manchester United match at Highbury in 1964. Getty

Denis Law in action against Arsenal. Getty

Manchester United score plenty of goals away from home, but the club still need a great centre forward.

Maybe Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood, who were all excellent in Thursday's win a Sheffield United, will become that person.

Maybe they all will and come close to the levels Edinson Cavani has reached in his stellar career. The Uruguayan could even be that great centre forward this season, but nine teams have scored more goals than United in the Premier League and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have scored only three goals at home in six league matches – two them penalties.

Old Trafford may not be seeing league goals from the home team, but it does boast statues of former legends – all of them forwards. One player has two. Denis Law, the first United player to be European Footballer of the Year and the only Scot so far, is part of the Trinity statue with team mates George Best and Bobby Charlton.

Law was known as the King of the Stretford End and there another statue honours the man who scored 237 goals in 404 games for United. Only Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton, who played far more games than Law, have scored more in United’s history.

Almost half a century after he left the club, Law, 80, is still revered by United fans on European away trips.

“Son of a fisherman from Aberdeen,” they sing, to the tune of ‘Davy Crockett’. “Played for his country when only 18, His football magic is a sight to see, As he leads United on to victory. Denis, Denis Law, King Of The Football League.” There’s another about fans being prepared to walk a million miles for one of his goals.

Venerated too in 'The Lawman', a new documentary about his life. It begins with Denis sitting at home being told that he once scored 46 goals in 42 games in a season.

“Did I?” he smiles.

“You were a record signing too.”

“Was I?” he replies. “My memory has gone. What was it? Three quid or four?”

His eyes are bright, his body wiry, his stories, told by a glittering cast as well as himself, rich.

“Denis was the king, the greatest Scottish player of all time,” opines Sir Alex Ferguson.

Kenny Dalglish, probably the greatest ever Liverpool player, says:

“A lot of people can say who was better, [George] Best or whoever. It doesn't matter to me. He [Denis] was my favourite”

Dalglish once chased his compatriot up the tunnel at Old Trafford and asked for his shirt. The cuff of that long sleeved shirt would be wrapped in Law’s clenched hands after scoring, a celebration captured by the statue and copied by a generation of Scottish schoolboys. “Fairy tale stuff,” says Dalglish. “Best, Law and Charlton. If you’re playing against them, how do take care of those three? You don’t.”

“Denis had a presence,” adds his former United and Scotland teammate Paddy Crerand. “There were not many players like that. If you played a ball through to him you knew it was in the back of the net.”

Denis Law, pictured here taking a shot against England at Wembley in 1967, won 55 Scotland caps between 1959-1974.

Law tells his story. Of seldom seeing his dad who was fishing six days a week, of wealthier neighbours giving him a first pair of football boots at 15, the year he travelled south to Huddersfield in England. He struggled to understand the West Yorkshire brogue.

Law looked so young with wire glasses that players thought he was the milk boy. Having an eye operation to rectify a squint changed his life.

Law made his first team debut at 16, with Huddersfield manager Bill Shankly describing him as “a skinny whippet of a boy, but when you saw him play you thought he’s unusual.”

“Quick in the box, lethal and aggressive,” said his former Manchester City teammate Mike Summerbee.

Law joined City for a first spell for a British record transfer fee of £53,000 in 1960. He moved again, to Torino in Italy, for another record fee. He had no troubles settling into the Italian lifestyle, but it was a different story on the pitch.

“The football was quite difficult, defensive,” he says. Law was often marked by two players, making it doubly difficult.

Manchester United manager Matt Busby asked Law if he was enjoying life in Italy.

“Not really,” replied Law. Thus the wheels were set in motion for another record transfer fee, one to Old Trafford in 1962 as United continued their rebuild after the Munich air disaster.

“You couldn’t do the rebuild with only young players,” says Ferguson.

The team he joined struggled to gel and flirted with relegation, finishing 19th in his first season, one point above the drop. But United won the FA Cup and Law scored. He also found playing in England easy “after a year with two guys on me, I had so much space.”

“The club [Manchester United] should never veer away from what it did in that 10-year period between 1958-68,” explains Gary Neville in the documentary made for Sky by Buzz 16.

“Spending money on the best in Britain, Denis Law being one. And also producing the best young players from UK and Ireland: Charlton and Best. You’re talking the amalgamation of young home grown players with the best quality European and international players forming an entertaining and relentless football team.”

Law became the best striker in Europe.

“His ability to head the ball was one thing, but when you consider that at 5'8" he was out jumping centre halves at 6'2". I used to call it suspended animation,” says Ferguson. “Denis had incredible courage, he could face a lion. And he had electric pace.”

‘Like watching a salmon twisting its way up a stream,’ is one description of his playing style. Law could go against the flow and fight when he needed.

United declined after the becoming the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968, a game Law missed to injury. He went back to Manchester City on a free transfer in 1973, scored against United who were on their way down to the second division and refused to celebrate.

Injuries hit him hard and he was a magnet for vicious tackles. The best players are, but in Law’s words: “when you put the ball in the back of the net, all the knocks are forgotten.”

He was 34 by the time he featured in his – and Scotland’s – first World Cup finals, his body battered and bruised. He retired without the fortunes of later players, helped sell carpets for a living and admits, in typically wry fashion:

“I was a lucky guy to play football and get paid for it. I wish we had the payment we had today. I would have retired at 21.”