A TWO-year-old statue of football legend Brian Clough is back in place after £20,000 worth of repairs.

The 7ft-high bronze figure was erected in May 2007 at Albert Park in the late managers home town of Middlesbrough.

But park officials noticed a fatigue fracture on its right leg, which mirrored Clough's 1962 ligament injury.

Repairs to the bronze statue, lasting ten weeks, were carried out by a specialist firm in Surrey and it was lifted back into place today.

It is thought the crack may have been caused by people leaning or sitting on the leg.

The council sought expert advice on how to repair the statue from Dr Paul Shelton, a metallurgist at Teesside University.

Dr Shelton said: "My ideas were to either secure the leg with a pin which would be unsightly or to slightly change the statue so it looked as though he was coming down a step.

"The statue has been restored by Laurence Flood of Bronze Restorations. Laurence agreed to my suggestion as did the statue's sculptor Vivien Mallock."

In March the statue was removed from the park and taken to the Bronze Restorations foundry in Surbiton, Surrey, where the repair work has been carried out.

Councillor John McPartland, chairman of the Brian Clough Statue Fundraising Committee, said: "Brian's countless fans will be delighted that his statue has returned and that, thanks to some innovative work, is still as accessible as ever.

"It would be nice to think his return to the park coincides with an upturn in the fortunes of Middlesbrough Football Club."

The statue shows a 24-year-old Clough with his boots slung over his shoulder striding towards Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough's former ground, on his way to training.

He began his playing career at Middlesbrough, later playing for neighbouring Sunderland, and went on to score 251 goals in 274 games for the two North-East clubs.

The former player and manager, awarded an OBE in 1991, died from cancer in September 2004, aged 69.