Heading a football is “likely” to have contributed to the brain injury which was a factor in the death of former Manchester United and Scotland defender Gordon McQueen, a coroner in North Yorkshire has found.The central defender, who died at his home in North Yorkshire in 2023 aged 70, won 30 international caps and also played for Leeds United.Appearing at a hearing in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, earlier this month, TV presenter Hayley McQueen said her father had previously told his family that heading a football for so long “probably hasn’t helped”.She said he was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2021.The cause of death was pneumonia as he had become frail and bed-bound for months, the inquest previously heard.That frailty was due to a combination of vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), coroner Jon Heath said.

Image:
The Manchester United defender (right) heads the ball in a 1979 FA Cup tie at Colchester United. File pic: PA

The coroner gave a narrative conclusion on Monday, finding that Mr McQueen died from pneumonia as a consequence of mixed vascular dementia and CTE.He said: “It is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE.”This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Jattvibe app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.