Gordon Hill, Manchester United player

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Gordon Hill was a flamboyant, skilful left-winger, who added pace and excitement to the Manchester United side of the mid-1970s.

Hill was born in Sunbury-on-Thames and played all his early football in and around London. In 1973 he signed for Millwall, where his trickery on the ball earned him the nickname ‘Merlin’. In November 1975, Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty signed Hill to add to his newly promoted young side. Playing 4-2-4, with Hill on the left and Steve Coppell on the right, the team played lots of exciting, attacking football. Gordon Hill was an immensely talented footballer. He was very quick, had excellent ball control, could dribble past a full-back and cross from the byeline. He was also a goalscorer with a tremendous left foot and a powerful shot. Over his three seasons with Manchester United, he scored 51 goals in 154 appearances, giving him a similar goal-scoring ratio to George Best.

Hill played for two seasons under Tommy Docherty and then for one under Dave Sexton. Sexton’s approach differed from Docherty’s. He expected his wide players to be all-round midfielders and not simply forwards. Steve Coppell adapted, but Gordon Hill didn’t. Tracking-back and defending wasn’t part of Hill’s game, something that prompted an infamous on-field rebuke from captain Martin Buchan. In his season under Sexton, Hill was the club’s leading scorer with nineteen goals, but this didn’t prevent him being sold at the end of the season to Derby County. The manager at Derby County was none other than Tommy Docherty who, later, signed Hill a third time when manager of Queens Park Rangers. Gordon Hill played for numerous different teams after leaving Old Trafford, including a number in the United States.

Hill made six international appearances for England.

profile last updated November 2010