THREE men will appear in court this morning charged with the murder of an avid football fan who died less than an hour after watching his favourite team in action.

Glynn Ellis, of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was found dead in the affluent Salford Quays area of Manchester, last Tuesday.

The 46-year-old was about to make his way home in his Ford Mondeo when he was allegedly confronted by a gang who tried to steal the car, at about 10.30pm.

Mr Ellis, who had watched Manchester United win a Champions League qualifier against Hungarian team Zalaegerszegi, was knocked down and dragged along the road for some distance.

He was discovered in the St Lawrence Quay area by fellow United supporter Tom Mills and pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

At the weekend, Greater Manchester Police said that three young men - who were arrested in connection with the inquiry on Friday - had been charged with murder. They are Paul Branchflower, 19, of no fixed address; Daniel Hulmes, 20, of Whalley Range, Salford; and a 17-year-old from the Whalley Range area, who cannot be named for legal reasons. They will appear before Salford Magistrates' Court this morning.

A post-mortem examination carried out last week by a Home Office pathologist revealed Mr Ellis died of "severe traumatic head injuries".

Manchester United backed police appeals for information about the investigation and were preparing to print an appeal in the programme for tomorrow night's home match against Middlesbrough.

Mr Ellis, a surveyor with Tarmac Northern, was originally from Manchester, where his parents, Douglas and Marjorie, still live. The elderly couple and other members of the family are said to be too distressed to talk about Mr Ellis' death.

Mr Ellis had recently sold his cottage in High Bond End, Knaresborough, and was preparing to move to Harrogate. He was a keen sports enthusiast, holding a season ticket at Old Trafford and membership of Harrogate's tennis academy.