Duncan Edwards: Eternal: An intimate portrait of Manchester United’s lost genius

Product Information

Yet, even 65 years on from unjustly early death, the new biography 'Duncan Edwards: Eternal' shines new light on the life and career of a remarkable young man. Wayne Barton is the prolific author of 20 United books and he has now turned his wealth of encyclopaedic knowledge to tell the most comprehensive account of his story yet, Dudley’s favourite son was 21 when he died from injuries sustained in the Munich Air Disaster, yet his legacy lives on and he is still described by many as the greatest player there ever was. Wayne Barton is the author of twenty books on Manchester United. He has been described as the leading writer and an ‘encyclopaedia’ on the club and in 2020, former owner Martin Edwards described him as ‘the pre-eminent writer’ on the club. Duncan Edwards was the jewel in the crown of the Busby Babes, an all-time legend at just 21, who was denied the chance to achieve even greater footballing success by the Munich Air Disaster in 1958. Edwards will always be a colossal figure in United history and, since his tragic passing in 1958, tales of the late great Busby Babe have become legendary.

Duncan Edwards: Eternal: An intimate portrait of Manchester Duncan Edwards: Eternal: An intimate portrait of Manchester

Duncan had just played for England and was a first-team regular. Jimmy told us that was there for us to accomplish too. That we were good enough too. So we should not always look for him to get us out of trouble, we should rely on ourselves to make it happen. "He said, ‘Go and tear them apart like I know you can do.’” The most forensic account of this remarkable life and career includes new interviews, as well as contributions from icons of United and the wider English game – plus quotes from Edwards himself.This fascinating new biography, with support from friends and relatives, includes rare and unseen pictures and tells the story of the boy who left his home in Dudley to earn his Manchester United debut at the age of 16 - and made such an impression that he was an England international at 18. He said to us all, whilst Duncan was sitting there, that we were not to have a ‘Duncan Edwards complex’,” recalls Wilf McGuinness. The book, which will be released on February 16, includes new interviews from United and English football heroes as well as unseen photographs and is written with contributions from Edwards’ friends and family. With the growing legend of Duncan Edwards, Jimmy Murphy relayed a new message to his players before the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

Duncan Edwards: Eternal by Wayne Barton | Waterstones

The Manchester Evening News will publish a series of excerpts from the upcoming biography, including this story that epitomises Edwards' remarkable skill on the pitch. Written by author Wayne Barton, the book attempts to interpret Duncan’s life and career, and it has been fully authorised by the family of the lost genius. Wayne has interviewed and worked with players through every decade of the club’s post-War years. In recent years Wayne has produced films in conjunction with his books, working on ‘Too Good To Go Down’ in 2018 and ‘True Genius: George Best’ in 2022, both for BT Sport.That's just one of the many interesting insights and fascinating anecdotes from 'Duncan Edwards: Eternal', a new biography from the renowned author of 20 United books Wayne Barton. Team-mate Bobby Charlton summed Edwards up best: “Sentiment can throw a man’s judgement out of perspective. Yet it is not the case with him. A few are great, and deserve respect. But Duncan Edwards was the greatest.” The most forensic account of this remarkable life and career includes new interviews, as well as contributions from icons of United and the wider English game - plus quotes from Edwards himself.