Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes’ spot-kick secured a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory as Erik ten Hag’s men survived a scare against 10-man Nottingham Forest.

The Red Devils have stumbled into the new campaign, with a fortunate home win against Wolves followed by a disappointing drop-off in last weekend’s defeat at Tottenham.

Ten Hag accused some of his players of not doing their jobs in the capital and will have been furious by the meek start on Saturday that allowed Forest to race into a two-goal lead.

Fernandes came under particular criticism after Spurs and led United’s turnaround, scoring the match-winning penalty shortly after drawing the foul that saw Joe Worrall sent off.

It was quite the response to a historically bad start. In-form Taiwo Awoniyi brilliantly put Forest ahead on the break with an 86th second goal swiftly followed by Willy Boly from a free-kick.

Never before had United trailed by two goals inside four minutes of a Premier League match, but they rallied as Christian Eriksen pulled one back from a Marcus Rashford cross.

Casemiro wasted a glorious chance to level but made amends shortly after half-time when turning home at the end of a clever free-kick routine.

Worrall’s dismissal for denying Fernandes a goalscoring opportunity gave United extra pep in their step, with the skipper soon scoring from the winner from the spot after Danilo was adjudged to have brought down Rashford.

This was United’s first match since it was agreed that Mason Greenwood will leave Old Trafford, where injuries meant Mason Mount and Luke Shaw were in the directors’ box.

They were among three changes against a Forest side who flew out of the block and launched a blistering counter-attack.

From a corner that followed an early Antony shot, Steve Cooper’s men cleared and Morgan Gibbs-White headed on. Awoniyi showed more hunger and strength than Rashford to win the ball inside his own half, roaring forwards and keeping his cool under pressure as he got close to goal, sitting down Andre Onana before prodding past him.

It was a fantastic Forest start that got even better in the fourth minute. Gibbs-White sent in a free-kick from the right and seemingly unsighted Boly turned home with a headed attempt that beat Onana and stunned Old Trafford.

“You’re getting sacked in the morning” chanted the Forest fans as the Old Trafford faithful called for their owners to sell up.

United looked punch drunk but eventually regained a modicum of composure, reducing the deficit in the 17th minute.

Fernandes’ long-ranger was stopped and Rashford eventually burst down the left past Serge Aurier and into space before driving across for Eriksen to flick home.

United pushed for a quickfire leveller and Casemiro somehow failed to level in the 26th minute. A corner came in from the right and bounced up for the midfielder, who inexplicably headed wide of an open goal from six yards.

The hosts continued to push but there were chances at the other end.

Gibbs-White was looking lively in front of England boss Gareth Southgate and saw a fizzing stoppage-time effort on goal inadvertently blocked by Awoniyi.

United started the second half far better than the first and equalised in the 52nd minute from a clever free-kick routine.

Forest were caught napping when Fernandes played over to Rashford, whose clipped cross was glanced back across goal by the Portuguese for Casemiro to score.

Old Trafford erupted and it was so nearly immediately 3-2, with Antony cutting onto his favoured left foot and whipping a beautiful strike that Matt Turner did well to stop.

Fernandes sent the Brazilian’s cutback just across the face of goal as United pushed for a winner and was never far away from the action.

The skipper drew a foul from counterpart Worrall in the 67th minute and referee Stuart Attwell brandished a red card having adjudged to him have denied a goalscoring opportunity.

The VAR ratified the decision, just as he did when Danilo caught Rashford in the box.

Fernandes stepped up to lash home low past Turner in the 76th minute as “Bruno, Bruno,” echoed around a rocking Old Trafford.

Forest were now a man and a goal down, but they continued to push. Onana acrobatically denied Boly but United shut up shop, with players leaving to cheers and anti-Glazer chants.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper saw growth in his side as they rallied to beat Sheffield United late on.

Forest looked like being held by the Blades after Taiwo Awoniyi’s third-minute opener was cancelled out by Gus Hamer’s delightful strike shortly after half-time.

But Chris Wood, whose loan move from Newcastle was made permanent in the summer, came up with the goods in the 89th minute when he headed home to seal a 2-1 victory and get his side’s Premier League campaign up and running.

Cooper does not think his side would have won that fixture last season and praised his side’s mentality.

“The last sort of 30 minutes of the game I thought we were by far the superior team, played high up the pitch, played good football, and created real dangerous moments in the game,” Cooper said.

“We took the game to try and win it. Of course we were by far the better team, of course we deserved to win, but I really liked the attitude of the team in getting over the line and getting the goal late on.

“I’m not sure we win that game last year at times, especially at the start of the season. It reminded me a little bit of (the 3-2 home defeats against) Fulham and Bournemouth, so hopefully that is a bit of growth in the mentality of the team.

“I really liked how we stuck to the task, there was only one team who deserved to win tonight.

“We took our foot off the pedal and gave Sheffield United a chance in the game. I am really glad we regrouped and did what we did in the last 30 minutes.”

The Blades have now lost their opening two games on their return to the top flight after two seasons away.

But they may feel hard done by as, after overcoming a chastening first 30 minutes, they competed well and had chances to take the lead when the score was 1-1.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side are a work in progress after their preparations for the season were hit by the sale of star players Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye, meaning recruitment is still going on.

The Blades boss is confident players will come in, but knows the current situation is hurting their chances.

“I just feel for the players a little bit because they deserved more this,” he said.

“If you sign players in June or July, you have two or three months with them by the end of August. If you sign them in August you are looking at September, October into November before you are really happy.

“It is something I have prepared for. I wish we weren’t doing it in the Premier League, but it can’t scare us, it can’t be an excuse.

“There is a commitment to get the players in, we will get them in, but it’s tough.

“It’s tough recruiting, we could go and get one tomorrow, but it wouldn’t be the one I want. I am playing my part in that, part of my brief is to develop players and make money for the club as well.

“I have to believe in a player and he has to be able to come and add. We will get them, I just wish we had them.

“But it’s no one fault, we can’t control when clubs come and take our players. Circumstances have meant we have been vulnerable.”

Chris Wood climbed off the bench to score an 89th-minute winner as Nottingham Forest got their Premier League season up and running with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United.

Forest looked like being held by the Blades after Taiwo Awoniyi’s third-minute opener was cancelled out by Gus Hamer’s delightful strike shortly after half-time.

But after Steve Cooper’s men had laboured in the second half, Wood, whose loan move from Newcastle was made permanent in the summer, came up with the goods near the end when he headed home.

It ensured Forest won their first points of the season after defeat at Arsenal last week while the Blades have lost their opening two games on their return to the top flight after two seasons away.

The Blades may feel hard done by as, after overcoming a chastening first 30 minutes, they competed well and had chances to have gone in front when the score was 1-1.

The City Ground was vital in earning Forest most of the points that led them to safety last season and their home form is going to be important again considering their first four away games are against the Gunners, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City.

And they made a flying start by taking the lead inside the opening three minutes.

Brennan Johnson teed up Serge Aurier on the right and the defender sent in a perfect cross for Awoniyi to power home a header from six yards.

Forest were completely dominant and looked a constant threat in the opening half-hour.

Awoniyi almost had another but Anel Ahmedhodzic intercepted at the far post, with the pace and power of the Nigeria striker causing the visiting defence problems.

He thought he should have had a penalty when he burst through and went down after tangling with Ahmedhodzic, but referee Peter Bankes waved away protests.

The Blades began to enjoy some encouraging moments towards the end of the first half as Vinicius Souza’s curling effort from 20 yards was saved by Matt Turner while other promising opportunities were ended by a poor last ball.

They started the second half on the front foot and were level in the 48th minute as debutant Hamer introduced himself in style following his arrival last week.

Forest could not clear a corner properly and it fell to the former Coventry man 20 yards out and he sent a delicious curling effort into the top corner to send the visiting fans wild.

The Blades were rampant and almost took the lead when Souza hit a first-time effort just wide.

Forest had to weather the storm but they still carried a threat on the break, with the pace of Awoniyi causing problems.

He looked to have regained the lead in the 55th minute when he raced clear and dinked home, but the flag went up as he was well offside.

That did at least turn the tide and it was the hosts that were looking more dangerous.

But some schoolboy defending from Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna, who collided with each other, handed the Blades a great chance to go in front. Benie Traore raced through but Turner got down brilliantly to keep out a low effort.

Forest got their reward late on when Wood, who had come on for Awoniyi, headed home another pinpoint Aurier cross from the right.

What the papers say

Chelsea have reportedly added Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson to their list of potential targets up front. According to The Guardian the Blues have already held initial talks with the 22-year-old, as Forest are believed to want £40million for his services.

The Independent says Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is attracting a lot of attention from Premier League heavyweights. West Ham, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea are all said to be interested in the 21-year-old.

According to The Telegraph, Monaco have set their sights on Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez. The 27-year-old is unlikely to feature in manager Ange Postecoglou’s future plans, and could make his exit this summer.

And the Daily Mail says Manchester City are looking to beat Brighton to the signature of Boca Juniors defender Valentin Barco.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Benjamin Pavard: The Bayern Munich defender is set to choose between Manchester United and Inter Milan before the end of the window, according to L’Equipe.

Bradley Barcola: RMC Sport says Chelsea and Paris St Germain are interested in the Lyon winger.

William Saliba was delighted to make a successful return to Premier League action in Arsenal’s win over Nottingham Forest.

The France defender missed the closing weeks of last season with a back injury and his absence was felt as Arsenal slipped from the top of the table to finish five points behind champions Manchester City.

Up until his injury, the Gunners had been settled at the summit and Saliba had formed a formidable defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.

Saliba returned to the team for the 2-1 win over Forest, providing the assist for Bukayo Saka’s stunning strike after Eddie Nketiah’s deflected effort had broken the deadlock.

“I’m really, really happy,” he said of his competitive return.

“I’m not 100 per cent at the moment, but I give everything to come back, because it’s been a long time. I didn’t play as I was injured, and I’m so happy to be with the team. The team and the staff helped me to get better and get back to my best.

“It’s always better (to play at home). You don’t feel pressure, you don’t feel any pain, it’s good.”

Arsenal had looked in control against the visitors until substitute Taiwo Awoniyi pulled a goal back with eight minutes remaining to give the visitors hope of wrestling back an unlikely point.

Ultimately, the hosts hung on and Saliba was pleased to start the campaign with a victory.

“It was really good to start the season with a win,” he added.

“It’s never easy to win the first game in the league, and we have done a good game. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the last 10 minutes, but it’s okay, we learn and will improve for the next game.”

Forest are aiming to add to their squad before the transfer deadline, having handed debuts to Ola Aina, Anthony Elanga and Matt Turner. The latter was pleased to make his bow against Arsenal, whom he left for the City Ground earlier last week.

“Debut and Prem debut. A dream was finally realised yesterday,” he said on Instagram.

“Thank you to the Forest fans who made the trip! See you at the City Ground on Friday.

“Also just wanted to say thanks for the warm welcome back to the Emirates, it was truly a special day for me and my family.”

Mikel Arteta said the way Eddie Nketiah trained made him impossible to leave out against Nottingham Forest as the striker repaid the faith by opening the scoring on his recall.

The 24-year-old had not scored a competitive goal in over 10 hours before breaking the deadlock as the Gunners began their quest for the Premier League title with a narrow 2-1 win.

After a 30-minute delay to kick-off following an issue at the turnstiles, Nketiah struck just after the midway point of the first-half, his deflected strike coming on the back of a fine piece of skill from Gabriel Martinelli.

Bukayo Saka’s fine curling effort proved enough to secure the points, even though Forest rallied and pulled a late goal back through substitute Taiwo Awoniyi.

“I’m delighted for him because he is a role model,” Arteta said of Nketiah, who was back in the starting XI having missed out on a berth against Manchester City in the Community Shield win last week.

“He was a player who was so disappointed not to play the final in the absence of Gabi (Jesus).

“What he did was he came on the field in the final and changed the game. That’s number one. The second one was the way he was training this week was saying ‘gaffer, if you’re not playing me you are blind’.

“A lot of players come and say ‘oh why am I not playing’ and you have to try to explain, other players come and say ‘these are the reasons why I deserve to play’. This is exactly what Eddie does.

“This is exactly what he did and then he got on the pitch and he performs that way. He’s a clear and very good example to everybody.”

Defeat at Forest in May saw Arsenal’s title charge come to an end last season and, despite starting the new campaign with a win, Arteta conceded he was concerned by the fall in performance levels.

“For sure,” he replied when asked if he was worried by the drop-off.

“It’s going to be very difficult to dominate games for 100 minutes. But we allowed them to get some grip of the game because they didn’t create anything but on that action the game changes.

“Momentum shifts immediately after that goal. That’s not the moment to change it, you cannot change it, now you have to be so good at dealing with that situation, running the clock down and earning the points.

“The team has done that really well but we’re going to have to be more ruthless and more critical of ourselves to be more pushy and kill the game.”

Forest boss Steve Cooper was left ruing the defending for Arsenal’s goals after setting up the visitors to create the sort of chances that led to their late consolation.

“I was disappointed with elements of our game in the first half,” he said.

“Structurally we were good but I didn’t like us on the goals – we should have defended those much better.

“I didn’t love that we didn’t back ourselves in the duels. I showed some clips to the lads at half time – we needed to believe, back ourselves and compete.

“The real chance in the first half was Brennan Johnson’s from open play. The plan was going to plan with our counter-attacks but we needed to compete more. So it is a game of ‘what might have been’.”

Arsenal began their quest to wrestle the Premier League title away from Manchester City as Bukayo Saka’s fine strike earned them a narrow victory over Nottingham Forest.

After a half-hour delay to kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, Eddie Nketiah and Saka struck in the first-half but the hosts could not build on their lead and were pegged back by Taiwo Awoniyi as they hung on to win 2-1.

An issue with the turnstiles meant kick-off was put back by 30 minutes but it did not threaten to dampen the expectant atmosphere as Arsenal aim to go one better than their runners-up spot last season.

Defeat at Forest in May ended that title challenge but a repeat never looked likely here from the moment Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner – making his debut after joining from Arsenal earlier in the week – saw a clearance charged down by Nketiah as the ball flashed wide.

The visitors had already spurned a great opening, Brennan Johnson unable to hit the target after being slipped in behind.

A moment of magic from Gabriel Martinelli freed Nketiah inside the Forest box and his low shot found a way past Turner courtesy of a deflection off Joe Worrall as Arsenal hit the front just after the midway point of the first half.

Saka then took centre-stage, collecting a pass from William Saliba and curling home a fine effort to double the lead before half-time.

It was not all smiles for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, though, as summer signing Jurrien Timber limped off with what appeared to be a knee injury with just 50 minutes gone.

The Dutch defender had gone down in pain having committed a foul on the stroke of half-time but emerged for the second-half, only to be forced off soon after.

The second half looked like being played out largely with Arsenal controlling possession, Declan Rice forcing a low stop out of Turner with a deflected drive before the £105million man had another shot turned behind.

But, from the resulting corner from the second of Rice’s efforts, Forest broke at pace and substitute Anthony Elanga burst down the left before squaring for Awoniyi to finish.

Arsenal ultimately held on for the win, Gabriel Magalhaes replacing Martinelli to sure up the defence as Forest threw on the likes of Chris Wood in a late attempt to salvage a point.

Chelsea gave the most playing time of any Premier League club to players developed in their own academy last season, research from the PA news agency has revealed.

Despite the focus on their extraordinary spending in both the summer and winter transfer windows under new owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, the Blues fielded seven players developed in-house for a combined 9,473 minutes.

That was one more player and nearly 2,000 minutes more than any other Premier League academy and here, PA looks at the figures in detail.

Cobham producing the goods

Five Chelsea academy products have been a regular feature of the club’s line-up in recent years and played over 1,000 minutes apiece last season, with Conor Gallagher leading the way at 1,812, narrowly ahead of Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

While the latter pair have left the club this summer, Reece James’ playing time is likely to increase from the 1,381 minutes he managed in an injury-hit season. Lewis Hall played 700 minutes and Armando Broja also featured before a long-term injury of his own.

Levi Colwill could also return from his loan at Brighton to help keep up the club’s homegrown quota, after starring for England’s Under-21 European champions.

Chelsea’s targets for their academy under their ‘Vision 2030’ banner include having Cobham graduates make up 25 per cent of their first-team squad and 15 per cent of playing time, and to have more in the professional game than any other academy.

Seven of last season’s 32 players were developed in-house and accounted for almost 23 per cent of their playing time, while leading the field for Premier League players indicates they are on track for the latter aim as well.

Three other clubs – Tottenham, Southampton and Liverpool – used six each of their own graduates but the closest club to Chelsea in terms of playing time were Nottingham Forest, with 7,619 minutes from four players.

Brennan Johnson played over 3,000 minutes, captain Joe Worrall almost 2,500 and Ryan Yates just short of 2,000, while Alex Mighten made one brief appearance before going out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

Crystal Palace were just 38 minutes behind in third, with Leicester and Brighton completing the top five ahead of Spurs.

Bees no-show

At the other end of the scale, Brentford were the only Premier League club not to give any playing time to graduates of their own academy.

The Bees have benefitted from their innovative link-up with Danish club Midtjylland, importing a number of talented players from Scandinavia and finishing 13th and ninth in their two seasons since promotion to the top flight.

They have barely developed any homegrown talent, though, with Ryan Trevitt and Nathan Young-Coombes making matchday squads but yet to take to the pitch in the Premier League.

Leeds fared little better last season in terms of player development, their 73 minutes coming in a solitary early-season appearance for Cody Drameh before his successful loan at Luton.

Fulham managed just 339 minutes, mostly from Marek Rodak and Jay Stansfield, while Hugo Bueno accounted for the vast majority of Wolves’ 1,742 minutes.

One extreme or the other

There were 83 players in last season’s top flight tagged as academy graduates of the same club they played for.

While those included several club captains such as James Ward-Prowse, Declan Rice and Lewis Dunk and stalwart players like Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, many others were on the periphery.

Thirty played less than 90 minutes while 23 made just one appearance each, ranging from one minute and 40 seconds for West Ham midfielder Conor Coventry against Manchester City to a full 90 minutes plus nine of stoppage time for Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the 4-4 draw with Southampton.

Nine players cleared the 3,000-minute mark and a further eight played over 2,000 minutes, with 34 in all playing 1,000 minutes or more for the club that developed them.

England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has paid tribute to “trailblazer” Trevor Francis following his death at the age of 69.

Bellingham, who spent his formative years at Birmingham where Francis also made his name as a teenager, thanked him for the guidance he had provided.

In a post on his official Twitter account, the 20-year-old said: “A very sad day for @BCFC and all of football. Beyond legendary, a trailblazer, a great and an icon of the game.

“The only thing that could exceed his quality and accolades on the pitch was his class off it. Thank you for all the guidance and the benchmarks you set. Rest in peace, King Trevor!”

Bellingham was one of a series of current and former players to pay their respects to Francis after a spokesman for the family confirmed on Monday the former Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and England striker had died following a heart attack.

He became Britain’s first £1million player when he joined Forest in 1979 and he went on to score the club’s winner in the European Cup final later that year.

John McGovern, who lifted the trophy as Forest captain, said in a video interview tweeted by the club: “I’d be describing him as a footballer, absolute top class, but as a person he would probably be up there as well.

“My condolences certainly go out to his family because this is one of the game’s nice guys.”

Another former team-mate at Forest, Martin O’Neill, said on social media: “Really devastated to hear the tragic news that Trevor Francis has passed away. A phenomenal player, superb team-mate and a great friend. Football has lost a true great of the game.”

Francis earned 52 England caps and later led Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham to major finals as a manager.

A post on England’s official Twitter account said: “We are deeply saddened by the news that Trevor Francis has passed away aged 69.

“He won 52 caps and scored 12 goals – including two at the 1982 @FIFAWorldCup for the #ThreeLions between 1977 and 1986.

“All of our thoughts are with his family, friends and former clubs.”

Former Forest and England goalkeeper Peter Shilton tweeted: “I’m absolutely devastated to hear about my old team-mate Trevor Francis. Such a wonderful gentleman a friend and a terrible loss.”

Francis former club’s Birmingham, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Rangers, QPR and Manchester City offered their condolences, with the Genoa club writing simply: “Rest in peace, Trevor #Francis.”

Former England striker turned TV presenter Gary Lineker wrote: “Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has died.

“A wonderful footballer and lovely man. Was a pleasure to work alongside him both on the pitch and on the telly. RIP Trevor.”

Former England team-mate Peter Reid said: “Great fella, played against him, England team-mate. He signed me for QPR from Everton. RIP Trev.”

Chris Waddle, who was a member of Francis’ Owls side that reached the League Cup and FA Cup finals of 1993, tweeted: “So sorry to hear the sad news that Trevor Francis has passed away, he was a lovely man and such great player and thank you so much for bringing me to SWFC..RIP legend.”

Mark Bright, another member of that Wednesday side, added: “RIP, Trevor Francis. Trev signed me when he was player/manager at SWFC.

“The club experienced some great times in the early 90’s, both Trev his wife Helen were very kind in helping me to settle in at the club. I greatly appreciated it then & now. Love to sons Matthew & James.”

Chris Kamara, the former Brentford and Swindon midfielder who later became a media colleague of Francis’, also offered his condolences.

He wrote: “Oh no, just heard Trevor Francis has passed away. What a player he was & what a gentleman. Got to know him well when Trevor was doing his co-commentary’s for Sky, a job he loved.

“RIP Trevor the first million pound player who always looked a million dollars.”

Another media colleague, Hayley McQueen, daughter of former Leeds and Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen, said: “Gutted about the passing of Trevor Francis, he was never the same after the passing of his beloved wife Helen six years ago.

“One of the loveliest couples you could meet who took me under their wing whilst working on a World Cup way back, dinners, lunches & even meet-ups back in London.”

Francis broke into the Birmingham team at the age of just 16 and his fame went beyond the game.

Former heavyweight world boxing champion Frank Bruno tweeted: “Trevor Francis RIP. Sad news about the sudden death of Trevor, he played in an era when I watched Match of the day avidly, another legend gone too soon. We met a few times, especially when I did events in and around the midlands.”

Journalist and TV presenter Piers Morgan wrote: “RIP Trevor Francis, 69. Britain’s first £1m footballer who had 52 caps for England and won back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest.

“Then became a superb TV pundit and was by all accounts a lovely man. Sad news. RIP.”

A host of former footballers led the tributes to “wonderful gentleman” Trevor Francis following his death at the age of 69.

A spokesman for the family confirmed on Monday the former Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and England striker had died following a heart attack.

Francis became Britain’s first £1million player when he joined Forest in 1979 and he went on to score the club’s winner in the European Cup final later that year.

He earned 52 England caps and later led Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham to major finals as a manager.

Peter Shilton, the former Forest and England goalkeeper, tweeted: “I’m absolutely devastated to hear about my old team-mate Trevor Francis. Such a wonderful gentleman a friend and a terrible loss.”

Former England striker turned TV presenter Gary Lineker wrote: “Deeply saddened to hear that Trevor Francis has died.

“A wonderful footballer and lovely man. Was a pleasure to work alongside him both on the pitch and on the telly. RIP Trevor.”

Chris Waddle, who was a member of Francis’ Owls side that reached the League Cup and FA Cup finals of 1993, tweeted: “So sorry to hear the sad news that Trevor Francis has passed away, he was a lovely man and such great player and thank you so much for bringing me to SWFC..RIP legend.”

Mark Bright, another member of that Wednesday side, added: “RIP, Trevor Francis. Trev signed me when he was player/manager at SWFC.

“The club experienced some great times in the early 90’s, both Trev his wife Helen were very kind in helping me to settle in at the club. I greatly appreciated it then & now. Love to sons Matthew & James.”

Chris Kamara, the former Brentford and Swindon midfielder who later became a media colleague of Francis’, also offered his condolences.

He wrote: “Oh no, just heard Trevor Francis has passed away. What a player he was & what a gentleman. Got to know him well when Trevor was doing his co-commentary’s for Sky, a job he loved.

“RIP Trevor the first million pound player who always looked a million dollars.”

Another media colleague, Hayley McQueen, daughter of former Leeds and Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen, said: “Gutted about the passing of Trevor Francis, he was never the same after the passing of his beloved wife Helen six years ago.

“One of the loveliest couples you could meet who took me under their wing whilst working on a World Cup way back, dinners, lunches & even meet-ups back in London.”

Francis broke into the Birmingham team at the age of just 16 and after winning the European Cup twice with Forest he also went on to have successful spells with Samdoria and Rangers. He also played for QPR, Manchester City and Wednesday and his fame went beyond the game.

Former heavyweight world boxing champion Frank Bruno tweeted: “Trevor Francis RIP. Sad news about the sudden death of Trevor, he played in an era when I watched Match of the day avidly, another legend gone too soon. We met a few times, especially when I did events in and around the midlands.”

Journalist and TV presenter Piers Morgan wrote: “RIP Trevor Francis, 69. Britain’s first £1m footballer who had 52 caps for England and won back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest.

“Then became a superb TV pundit and was by all accounts a lovely man. Sad news. RIP.”

Trevor Francis was a footballer best known not for scoring in a European Cup final, earning 52 England appearances or later managing in major finals – all notable achievements – but for one of the game’s historical landmarks, as British football’s first £1million player.

In these days of £100million-plus fees, few now bat an eyelid at modest seven-figure moves but in 1979, when Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest smashed the British transfer record to sign Francis from Birmingham, the sum caused quite a stir.

Naturally Francis, who has died aged 69, felt he deserved to be remembered for much more, after a 34-year career in football that began in his prodigious teenage years and took him around the world, but he was nevertheless pleased to have his own unique place in the game’s history.

“I played professional football for 23 years until I was 39,” said Francis in an interview with The Guardian in 2019.

“I won European Cups with Nottingham Forest, I played 52 times over nine years for England, but whenever I go to a sporting occasion I’m always introduced as the first £1million footballer, as if that’s the only thing I achieved in my career.

“But do I feel proud of being the first £1million player? Absolutely.”

Trevor John Francis was born at 41 Morley Place in Plymouth on April 19, 1954. He was the son of Roy Francis, a shift foreman with the South West Gas Board, and his wife Phyllis. Francis was the eldest of three children, having a younger brother Ian and sister Carolyn.

His love of football was fostered at a young age by his father, who had played at semi-professional level. By the age of seven Francis was representing his school, Pennycross Primary, with boys at least two years older.

He went on to Plymouth Public Secondary School for boys and was selected for the town’s schools side at under-11, under-13, under-14 and under-15 levels. In all he scored more than 800 goals in the Devon schools system and was soon attracting interest from Plymouth Argyle, Bristol City and Birmingham. The latter offered him an apprenticeship and he joined them at the age of 15.

His dedication and determination made him stand out. This was underlined by his desire to improve his speed. Francis was known throughout his career for his pace but as a junior it had been one area where he was criticised.

He wrote: “At that stage of my development I took the advice and I would come back to St Andrew’s in the afternoon wearing my spikes and I just ran sprints over and over again. It was worth it.”

It certainly was. Francis scored at a prolific rate in the youth team and almost bypassed the reserves as he was fast-tracked into the first team. He became Birmingham’s youngest senior player as he made his debut at the age of 16 years, 139 days as a substitute against Cardiff.

He made an instant impact with 15 goals in his first 15 games, including all four in a victory over Bolton – a match he did not finish because of injury.

He was tagged “Super Boy” and comparisons with Jimmy Greaves and Denis Law were rife. Such was his impact the BBC Sports Report once began a segment with the announcement, “And Trevor Francis did not score today!”

Birmingham, then in the Second Division, saw their crowds swell to nearly 50,000. The club even reported a gate of 10,000 after Francis appeared in a youth game. All the while Francis remained an apprentice and still had to sweep terraces, mop floors and clean senior players’ boots.

Birmingham were promoted in 1972 and survived in the top flight for seven years. In all Francis scored 133 goals for the club in 328 appearances before that ground-breaking move to Forest. By then he was almost 25 and yearning to join a club that could challenge for silverware.

“I want to be part of a successful team and unless I see signs that we are going somewhere I won’t stay,” he said after submitting one of six transfer requests that were swiftly rejected by the club.

In the end, manager Jim Smith promised to let him go if fortunes did not improve and the club eventually accepted an offer from Forest in February 1979. Coventry pledged to match the deal with their chairman, Jimmy Hill, able to offer extra game time – with good financial incentives – with his American club, Detroit Express. Francis had previously spent a successful summer on loan with the Express but, ultimately, joining First Division champions Forest was more appealing.

“At the time they were the only team in England that could challenge Liverpool,” Francis said.

Forest’s charismatic manager Clough, who famously strolled into a press conference to unveil Francis carrying a squash racquet, immediately downplayed the fee.

The previous record British move had been David Mills’ £516,000 switch from Middlesbrough to West Brom just weeks earlier and Clough feared the pressures the £1million price tag could bring. Clough claimed Forest had actually paid £999,999 for the player and said so persuasively, even if fees and taxes meant the final fee was around £1.15million.

“Brian was very clever with the media,” Francis said. “He used to make headlines, and wasn’t bothered whether they were true or not.”

Francis soon made further headlines himself, scoring the only goal as Forest beat Malmo in the 1979 European Cup final in Munich. Francis raced in at the back post to head a John Robertson cross from the left into the roof of the net.

“I used to write a column for the Roy of the Rovers comic and this was my own Roy of the Rovers moment,” said Francis, whose fame saw his name – and apparent tendency to be photographed in tracksuits – written into the closing theme tune for popular sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’.

Francis was on target again in the quarter-finals against Dynamo Berlin and semi-finals against Ajax as Forest retained the trophy the following year, although injury prevented him playing in the final against Hamburg.

Injuries actually repeatedly disrupted his Forest career and, with Clough often playing him as a winger, he arguably never fulfilled his potential at the club. He scored 28 goals in 70 league appearances before moving to Manchester City for £1.2million in September 1981.

That proved a short-lived move as injuries again bit and cash problems forced City to sell on the following summer, but he revived his career in an impressive four-year spell with Sampdoria, with whom he won the Coppa Italia in 1985. He then had a spell with Atalanta, won the Scottish Cup with Rangers in 1988 and finished his playing career with QPR and Sheffield Wednesday.

On the international front, Francis won his first cap against Holland in 1977 and went on to score 12 goals for his country. He scored in group games against Czechoslovakia and Kuwait at the 1982 World Cup but was not selected for the 1986 tournament and did not play for England again.

It was at QPR he took his first steps into management, operating as player-boss from 1988-89. It was not a successful spell and he sparked controversy when he fined Martin Allen for missing a game to attend the birth of a child.

He fared better at Wednesday after taking over, again as player-manager, following Ron Atkinson’s departure in 1991. The Owls finished third in the First Division in 1992 and reached the League Cup and FA Cup finals of 1993, losing both to Arsenal.

He was sacked after a 13th-placed finish in 1995 but returned to management with Birmingham. He took them to the brink of promotion to the top flight as they reached the play-offs three times in succession from 1999-2001 but they missed out each time. They also appeared in the 2001 League Cup final but were beaten by Liverpool on penalties.

Despite those relative successes, he left the club later that year after a poor run of form and a number of disagreements with owners David Gold and David Sullivan and, on one particular occasion, with their chief executive Karren Brady.

“When I sold her husband (Paul Peschisolido) to West Brom, let’s just say she wasn’t very happy,” he said. “Her language was somewhat colourful.”

He returned to the game soon after with Crystal Palace but did not seek work in management again after being sacked at Selhurst Park in 2003.

He went on to forge a media career as a football pundit and co-commentator. He suffered a heart attack in 2013 but made a full recovery.

He leaves two sons, Matthew and James. His wife Helen, whom he married in 1974, died in 2017.

Willian visited the Nottingham Forest training ground ahead of a possible transfer this summer.

The Brazilian is out of contract at Fulham and has been in talks with Forest about a switch to the City Ground.

He visited the club’s facility on Thursday but has not yet agreed a deal, the PA news agency understands.

The Cottagers have also offered the 34-year-old a new contract after an impressive 2022/23 campaign.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal winger scored five times in 25 appearances as Marco Silva’s side enjoyed a top-half finish.

Forest made 30 signings last year in their first season back in the top tier but they are not expected to be as active this year.

They are targeting up to eight new arrivals as they aim to build on last year’s 16th-placed finish.

Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo has been charged with misconduct over 375 alleged breaches of Football Association betting rules.

The charge relates to a period stretching from January 2014 to March 2017 while the now 27-year-old was a Norwich player, but also had loan spells at Swindon, Rotherham, Peterborough and Scunthorpe.

Toffolo has until Wednesday, July 19 to respond.

An FA spokesperson said: “Nottingham Forest’s Harry Toffolo has been charged with misconduct in relation to our betting rules.

“It’s alleged that the defender breached FA Rule E1(b) 375 times between 22 January 2014 and 18 March 2017. Harry Toffolo has until Wednesday 19 July 2023 to provide his response.”

Toffolo joined Premier League Forest from Huddersfield in July last year after two and a half years with the West Yorkshire club.

He made 21 senior appearances, including nine league starts, for the newly-promoted club last season as they retained their top-flight status.

What the papers say

Nottingham Forest are reportedly looking to capitalise on Manchester United’s pursuit of Andre Onana by going after England international goalkeeper Dean Henderson who was on loan at the club last year, the Telegraph reports.

The Telegraph say promoted Burnley have set their sights on Coventry midfielder Gustavo Hamer.

Coventry, who lost to Luton in the Championship play-off final, are set to lose their striker Viktor Gyokeres to Sporting Lisbon for a deal worth around £20million, according to the Daily Mail.

Manchester Evening News says Manchester City are close to signing 16-year-old young gun Harrison Parker from Manchester United as “revenge” after United attempted to sign City’s 16-year-old twins Jack and Tyler Fletcher.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Gabri Veiga: The 21-year-old Celta Vigo midfielder is has attracted interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, French media outlet Le10Sport said.

Alex Scott: Bournemouth are looking most likely to sign the 21-year-old, but Tottenham, West Ham and Wolverhampton are all interested in the Bristol City midfielder.

Former Republic of Ireland international Steven Reid has returned to Nottingham Forest as first-team coach a year after leaving for a new challenge.

Reid, 42, left Steve Cooper’s staff 12 months ago after playing his part in the club’s return to the Premier League to become a specialist coach offering support to players around mental well-being, confidence and leadership.

However, the former Millwall, Blackburn, West Brom and Burnley midfielder has now rejoined Forest, where he served briefly as interim manager following Chris Hughton’s departure in September 2021.

Reid told the club’s official website: “It is a club that has stayed close to my heart for many reasons, firstly because of the amazing journey to promotion, but also because of the support I felt from within the club and the amazing fanbase when stepping away from football to do some work around mental health and well-being.

“I have remained close to Steve and many of the coaching staff and players and cannot wait to get going again.”

Cooper added: “I’m delighted that Reidy is returning to the club. He had a massive impact in our Championship promotion-winning season, but he also has experience of working and playing in the Premier League and knows what it demands.”