The funeral of Man United and England icon Bobby Charlton to be held in Manchester

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The funeral of Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton will be held in Manchester on Monday.

The soccer icon, who was widely-regarded as the greatest English player in history,

died last month

. He was 86.

The funeral service will be held at Manchester Cathedral and is expected to be attended by around 1,000 guests, including former teammates and leading sporting figures.

Former United manager Alex Ferguson will be among the representatives of the club that Charlton played for from 1956-73, making 758 appearances. Some current members of United's first team will also be in attendance.

A funeral cortege will begin at United's Old Trafford stadium, where fans are likely to gather to pay their respects.

Charlton survived a plane crash in 1958 that decimated a United team that seemed destined for greatness. He then went on to help his country win the 1966 World Cup and lifted the European Cup with United two years later.

He scored 249 goals for his club and won three league titles, the FA Cup and the European Cup.

Charlton held the record as England's leading scorer with 49 goals until being surpassed by Wayne Rooney in 2015.

Harry Kane set a new benchmark this year and currently has 61 goals for his country.

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James Robson is at

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