One of the most important collections of Manchester United memorabilia to appear at auction in a generation will go under the hammer later this month.

Paul Atkinson’s private collection, amassed over 25 years, totals more than 650 lots including the 1968 European Cup winner’s medal awarded to Bill Foulkes.

That’s expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000 with other items including match-worn shirts, valued at up to £20,000, from George Best, Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and others, as well as caps and rare programmes. It will all go to the highest bidder when offered by Graham Budd Auctions on September 28.

Atkinson, a life-long Red Devils fan, revealed the personal reason he’s deciding to sell up after all this time.

“I’ve been a passionate supporter of Manchester United since childhood and went to University in Manchester in the 1970s so I could regularly go to matches,” he said.

“It reached a pinnacle sitting behind the goal at the Nou Camp in 1999 when Solskjaer scored: nothing could ever match those three minutes. The following year I went to an auction at Old Trafford out of curiosity but I got the bug.

“I never started this collection with the intention of selling it; it developed as an extension of my passion for Manchester United. Work took me to Ireland where I now live, and all my children are now grown up.

“I wanted to help my children buy a house but our old one is now housing Ukrainian refugees so, instead of selling the house, we decided it was the perfect moment to auction off the collection, and to let other United fans enjoy these relics of the club’s proud history.”

For the last 10 years Foulkes’ medal has been on loan at the National Football Museum.  The legendary defender played almost 700 games for the club and was – alongside Bobby Charlton – was one of only two survivors of the Munich Air Disaster.

Other medals include Jack Crompton’s 1948 FA Cup winner’s medal which could fetch £15,000. There’s also a Nobby Stiles England cap rated at between £2,000 and £3,000.

David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at Graham Budd Auctions, said: “It’s a great honour to be asked to offer Paul Atkinson’s collection: this is one of the most important private collections of United memorabilia ever assembled.”