I first saw Dennis Viollet play in a Schoolboy international match at Newcastle, against Scotland I think, when I was thirteen years old.  Two players stood out in that particular game, Dennis Viollet and Jeff Whitefoot. They stood out like sore thumbs. Both of them, I heard older people saying; they were destined to sign for Manchester United when they left school.

Dennis Viollet in particular impressed me a great deal.  He was an inside-forward like myself and took my eye immediately.  He was deadly in the box and again, if my memory serves me right, he scored a couple of goals.  He was very, very fast off the first six yards and kept remarkable control over the ball while moving at speed.  He seemed so confident in everything he did with the ball and so composed when he received it; he always seemed to be in the right place when it was played to him.  He wasn’t well built for a forward but the way he used the ball, defenders had little opportunity of clattering him. When they moved in to tackle him, he would be gone in a flash.

When I joined Manchester United in 1953 Dennis was already at the club and was about to make his debut in the first team against Newcastle. In my days at Old Trafford I watched his progress as Dennis became a first team regular, even though he was only a young player himself.  This was a policy our manager Matt Busby made so successful later on with the Busby Babes team.

While in the successful United FA Cup team and the reserves, I had the opportunity to play with or against Dennis on many occasions. He was always friendly and helpful.  On the field his ability and goal scoring qualities stood out like a beacon on a foggy night.  While on the verge of a first team place, I watched with admiration as he was one of the main reasons why good things were happening with Manchester United during that period.

I remember his great performance under the floodlights at Maine Road Anderlecht in the European Cup when United won by ten clear goals.  It was one of the best displays of English football ever seen.  Dennis scored four on this occasion and his movement both on and off the ball was a sight to behold.  The intelligent way he linked up with the wing-halves and his crisp, inch-perfect passing to his forward colleagues was stamped with class while his unique partnership with Tommy Taylor was something special.  They both seemed to have a telepathic understanding – each knowing what the other was about to do. For example, when Tommy went up for a high ball Dennis would move straight away into position in anticipation of Tommy’s headed pass.  Dennis knew the exact kind of ball Tommy liked to run on to and he would deliver it precisely.

A gracious friend and kind and considerate teammate, Dennis Viollet was a huge influence when Manchester United were carving a name in Europe in that golden time.

When I broke into the first team I saw how good he was at first hand.  Most Friday mornings after training I would sit alone in an empty Old Trafford stand and worry about the following day’s game and who would be opposing me. I would go over my previous match and think:  “That’s the point from which I made my run the other week – did I time it right?’  I would relive all the incidents in my mind, to try and work out how I did it, and think how I would to it another time.  “What would I have done if the opposing player had decided to do this or that?  Would I have gone to that position or the other?

Many times Dennis would join me.  He seemed to sense my anxiety and help me relax.  On the field he was always looking for attacking options and made things so simple.  I believe that had it not been for Munich and the injuries he suffered, I am certain Dennis Viollet would have become a more important striker in world terms.