Jimmy played for the Blades from 1938-1958 and is widely regarded as the greatest ever United player. After his playing career he went on to manage Benfica winning the Championship more than once. Jimmy also did United the great honour of refusing to sign for Sheffield Wednesday when the board had agreed a record fee for him. A true Blade who sadly passed away in 1998.

Eusebio, the great Portugese player, was at Benfica when Jimmy managed there. Eusebio was at Bramall Lane shortly after his old manager's death to unveil a statue of Jimmy, and had this to say about him:
"Jimmy is still in my heart to this day and I can see exactly why he was so popular with the people of Sheffield. He was my coach at Benfica between 1970 and 1973 and I remember him being a manager who knew how to handle players well. He always offered me good advice and told me where I should be playing to get the best out of me. He was also a strong disciplinarian and when he first arrived, we were surprised by the physical preparation for games. All the players thought his training schedules were too punishing and some were physically sick after the first training session. But after a while, they realised it was worth it as we started winning games. He gave us the extra strength and he is the reason Benfica won three successive championships."

"It's a testimony to him that I am here today and it will be a very emotional moment when I unveil the statue. Jimmy deserves this recognition because he was a good player, a wonderful manager and a great man."

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