Former manager of Leeds United Jimmy Adamson dies at 82

Jimmy Adamson was offered the chance to take charge of the nation’s football team after Walter Winterbottom resigned following England’s elimination from the 1962 World Cup.

But he was still a player then and rejected the offer, allowing Sir Alf Ramsey to take the country to glory when England hosted the competition four years later.

Adamson made 486 appearances for Burnley and captained the club in every game of its League Championship-winning season in 1959-60.

In 1962 he was named Footballer of the Year and played in the FA Cup final, which Burnley lost 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lancashire club, nicknamed the Clarets, paid tribute to Adamson on its website, saying: “Adamson, a former manager and captain of the club at the peak of its powers, has died at the age of 82.

“Ashington-born Adamson gave three decades of magnificent service to the Clarets.”

Recruited from youth football in Northumberland, Adamson joined Burnley’s ground staff before signing a first professional contract with the Clarets in 1947, aged 17. He made his senior debut in 1951.

Although he never won an international cap, Adamson was included in the 1962 World Cup squad.

He retired as a player in 1964, but went on to manage Burnley. He was in charge of Leeds from October 1978 until October 1980 and also managed Sunderland.

During his time at Leeds, the club won 31 matches and qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1979.