We would hear the door pushed open at the top of the stairs that came down into the gym at the Cliff, and all of us Manchester United apprentices would look up in expectation, because if it was our coach Eric Harrison then we had better make sure we looked busy.

The game of head tennis in the corner would end abruptly, the effort being put into the weights would increase noticeably and by the time Eric reached the bottom of the stairs and strode across the floor, we were all training hard. The gym at the Cliff, United’s training ground up to 1999, was nothing like you see these days – more like something out of Rocky IV – and Eric headed straight for the bench press.

He did not bother changing the weights, he just lifted the whole thing, rack and all. He did it just the once and he would let out a roar as he did so. It was a reminder that he might be a bit older than all of us, and no longer a professional footballer, but he was strong and woe betide we forget that.

The death of Eric at 81 is a sad day for all of us who benefited from his great knowledge as a coach, and also from his natural toughness, which he was keen to pass on to us apprentices. As we made our way in professional football, we also saw his kindness. Eric was a very hard Yorkshireman who liked to tell us that he played for Halifax Town regardless of injury, weather, or the state of the pitch. A player who squared up to him learned very soon that he would take on anyone. But he had a soft side to him too. We were just boys after all, and he knew when we needed support.