Everton plan 'Holy Trinity' statue near Goodison Park

Alan Ball, Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall are still revered by the club's supporters

A "permanent reminder" of three of Everton's greatest players is to be erected outside the club's stadium.

Plans have been submitted for a statue of Howard Kendall, Alan Ball and Colin Harvey to be sited near Goodison Park.

The players, known as the "Holy Trinity", were regarded as the best midfield trio in England in the 1960s.

Harvey said his teammates were "two of the best players to wear an Everton shirt" and it was a "real honour" to be placed alongside them.

He added that he had "loved playing" with Ball and Kendall, who died in 2007 and 2015, and "every time I see the statue, it will be a reminder of some wonderful times both on and off the pitch".

The trio have previously been depicted in a mural, seen here alongside a statue of Dixie Dean

The piece will be sculpted by Tom Murphy, who also created the statue of club legend Dixie Dean at the stadium.

Everton, who are currently in the process of developing a new stadium on Bramley Moore Dock, said while past tributes to the players - including a mural on Goodison Park's main stand - had "been well received, the club wanted a more permanent reminder of the trio and their contribution".

Everton's 'Holy Trinity'

• Ball, Kendall and Harvey helped the club win the league title in 1970 and are still revered by the club's supporters

• Harvey, the only Liverpudlian of the three, joined the club as an apprentice in 1960, while World Cup winner Ball signed from Blackpool in 1966 with Kendall joining from Preston North End a year later

• The trio split when Ball left for Arsenal in 1971, his £220,000 price breaking the British transfer record at the time

• Kendall and Harvey became the club's most successful managerial team, leading them to win two league titles, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup in the 1980s

The project, submitted for council approval by architects Condy & Lofthouse on behalf of the club, will also see the pavement outside St Luke's Church on Goodison Road extended to accommodate the statue.

The proposed piece includes figures of the three players mounted on a triangular bronze base and re-used cobbles from the existing street as a reference to how it looked when the trio played at the club.

Murphy has previously created a number of other sculptures in Liverpool, including likenesses of The Beatles' John Lennon at the city's airport, comedian Sir Ken Dodd inside Lime Street Station and Liverpool manager Bill Shankly outside Anfield.

The statue would be the second at a Premier League stadium to honour a "Holy Trinity" - Manchester United's own version, depicting Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best, was unveiled outside Old Trafford in 2008.