Everton's 'Golden Vision' Alex Young dies peacefully aged 80

Everton and Hearts great Alex Young has died at the age of 80, his family has confirmed.

The Scotland international striker, who was nicknamed 'The Golden Vision', died peacefully in hospital on Monday morning.

Young won league titles on both sides of the border, helping Hearts to two in three years before joining Everton in November 1960.

An English championship followed three years later, Young scoring 22 times on his way to becoming a crowd favourite at Goodison Park, and he was an FA Cup winner in 1966.

His son, also called Alex, told the Liverpool Echo: "He has been ill for a few weeks but he battled on bravely. It's still very raw but I wanted people on Merseyside to know.

"He loved Everton and he loved being back at Goodison Park. He always said it was like going to church."

An Everton statement read: "Everton Football Club is deeply saddened to confirm the passing of one of Goodison's greatest sons, The Golden Vision."

It described him as "a centre-forward who combined elegant skill with a boundless determination and passion, an icon of his era, a player who glided across even the heaviest of surfaces, shimmying and tricking his way past defenders before effortlessly floating shots past baffled goalkeepers."

Hearts said Young "will go down in history as one of Hearts' finest ever players and the club would like to offer its sincere condolences to Alex' friends and family."