A RARE collection of items belonging to footballing legend Duncan Edwards will be proudly displayed at Dudley’s new museum after months of talks with Manchester United.

For a number of years, the Edwards family had loaned the items to Dudley Council but earlier this year, they decided to sell them to the club where the late Dudley-born midfielder had made his name.

The sale cast doubt over the future of the exhibition, which includes shirts, medals and match programmes.

Determined to keep the items on display in the borough, the council stepped in to begin negotiations with United to ask the club to loan the collection back to the authority.

The club agreed to loan shirts and caps from the Busby Babes' international duty with England, and they will take pride of place in the new museum when it opens at the archives centre on September 30.

Councillor Ian Kettle, cabinet member responsible for tourism, said: “This collection is extremely important to this borough – it tells the story of not only a local footballing hero, but one of the greatest players this country has ever produced.

“We are extremely grateful to the new owners, Manchester United, for recognising that this collection belongs in Duncan’s home town and we will continue celebrating his name for generations to come.”

The memorabilia, along with the other collections which were based at the old museum in St James Road, have now been moved to their new home at the Tipton Road archives building.