Manchester City to unveil tribute to legends Bell, Lee and Summerbee

English and European Champions Manchester City will unveil a permanent tribute to three of their greatest players ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League Group G clash with RB Leipzig.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, have had a long held desire to recognise the club’s storied past as part of the club’s legacy project and commissioned world-renowned sculptor David Williams-Ellis to fulfil the latest stage of the undertaking.

Williams-Ellis has now finished his piece depicting the legendary triumvirate of Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee.

Details of the work are being kept under wraps until the unveiling next week but it is known that the sculptor’s latest work will be located on the West side of the Etihad Stadium perimeter and will be in place for fans to enjoy ahead of the game against Leipzig.

Bell, Lee and Summerbee are City legends from the 1960s and '70s, playing 1,000 games between them for the club, scoring 276 goals and amassing 83 caps for England.

Sadly Bell, who already has a stand named after him at the ground, and Lee, a former City chairman, have both passed away, but Summerbee, a club ambassador, will be present to see the statue unveiled.

A student of eminent drawing teacher, Nerina Simi, Williams-Ellis sought out classical training in Florence where his signature style was first established.

His sculptures, worked in clay, from life, are inspired by the romanticism of French sculptors Auguste Rodin and Antoine Bourdelle and are noted for their sense of movement and vitality.

With exhibitions proudly displayed at Perthshire’s Scone Palace, Aberdeen’s Maritime Museum and the IFC Building in Shanghai, Williams-Ellis is perhaps most famously known for his