United fans say goodbye to Best

Manchester United fans converged on Old Trafford to pay tribute to George Best before the club's first home game since the death of the legendary player.

Manchester United fans converged on Old Trafford to pay tribute to George Best before the club's first home game since the death of the legendary player.

Throughout the day, a steady trickle of mourners laid flowers around the statue of Sir Matt Busby, the club's manager during Best and United's glory years in the late 1960's.

United were due to play West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday evening in a League Cup tie, their first match at Old Trafford since Best, who was 59, died in a London hospital on Friday as a result of multiple organ failure brought on by years of alcoholism.

By coincidence, West Brom were also the team that United faced when Best made his debut for United as a skinny 17-year-old in September 1963.

Because of the freezing weather, the club appealed to supporters to be in their seats 15 minutes before the 2000 GMT kick-off to allow time for a minute's silence before the players' warm-up.

United manager Alex Ferguson and his West Brom counterpart, Bryan Robson, himself a former captain of the Red Devils, were to carry wreaths on to the pitch before the match, leading their teams out to the tune of "Georgie, Georgie - The Belfast Boy."

Among those invited to intend Wednesday's match were Graham Williams, the former West Brom defender who marked Best on his United debut, and his son Calum.

Williams offered an insight into what it was like trying to keep up with Best in his prime by recalling: "When we met up after we had stopped playing, I always used to say, 'hello George, can you turn around as I've never seen you from the front'."

Journalist David Meek, who probably watched Best play more often than anyone in his role as United correspondent for the Manchester Evening News, and Bobby Charlton were to make short speeches before the minute's silence, during which supporters were to hold up posters of the player.

United are still considering how to mark Best's memory on a permanent basis with a statue similar to the one of Busby the most likely option.

Best's funeral is to take place in his native Belfast on Saturday. It is expected to be the biggest of its kind in Britain since the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Extra flights have had to be scheduled to Northern Ireland with up to half a million people expected to bring the city to a standstill. The Irish League has postponed all matches scheduled for Saturday as a mark of respect.