Sir Alex Ferguson is “thrilled” at plans by Aberdeen to build a statue in his honour.

The Dons say the bronze monument outside Pittodrie Stadium will be the first in a series to honour the club’s heroes.

The statue will be sculpted by Andy Edwards and based on a photograph of Sir Alex celebrating Aberdeen’s 1980 title success at Easter Road.

Sir Alex, who won 10 major trophies in eight years at Pittodrie before going on to further success with Manchester United, said: “I am thrilled and honoured by this recognition from Aberdeen Football Club, where I spent a fantastic and memorable part of my managerial career.

“I am particularly pleased with the image the club has chosen to base the statue on and with the choice of sculptor whose recent work is incredibly lifelike. I can’t wait to see it!”

Chairman Dave Cormack added: “We began exploring the idea of a series of statues, to recognise those legends who have made a lasting impact on the club, over 18 months ago but the process stalled due to the pandemic.

“It’s now very much back on our agenda and when it came to deciding the subject of the first one there was of course only one option, Sir Alex Ferguson.”

Sculptor Edwards and his firm Cornovii Edwards have previously created images of the likes of The Beatles in Liverpool, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Stanley Matthews and Muhammad Ali.