Football legend Kevin Keegan is to be awarded Newcastle's highest honour.

The former Newcastle United player and manager will be put forward for the Freedom of the City next week, following his death earlier this year aged 75.

Keegan will become the first person to be posthumously awarded the title, which Newcastle City Council said would "serve as a lasting tribute to a man who meant so much to the city".

The local authority confirmed he was due to be awarded earlier this year, but it was not formally agreed before he died in July, weeks after he revealed his cancer diagnosis.

Councillors will be asked to approve the award at a special council meeting on 4 November.

Liberal Democrat leader Colin Ferguson said: "You could see from the enormous amount of tributes left outside St James' Park what he meant to the city and the footballing world."

Flowers, cards, shirts and scarves were left outside the city's stadium in the days following his death.

"The proposal to posthumously bestow the Honorary Freedom of Newcastle on Kevin is a fitting tribute to everything he gave to our city," Ferguson said.

As a player, Keegan scored 48 goals in 78 games after joining Newcastle in 1982 and helped secure promotion back to the First Division.

He then returned to Tyneside as manager in 1992 and led the club up to the Premier League, where his famous Entertainers team came close to winning the title.

Keegan went on to manage Fulham, Manchester City and England, before returning for a second spell in charge at St James' Park in 2008.

He will join other Newcastle sporting legends such as Alan Shearer, Sir Bobby Robson, Jackie Milburn, and Eddie Howe in receiving the Freedom of the City.

The award is an honorary status that involves a recipient's name being inscribed in the wall of the Banqueting Hall at the Civic Centre.

In a statement, his family said: "Kevin always shared his love for Newcastle United, Geordies and the city, captivating us with stories told with his infectious smile."

They said the tributes allowed them a "quiet moment to reflect on many fond memories of Kevin's incredible career and the incomparable bond he shared with Newcastle".

Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson said he would "always be, quite simply, one of the most important, influential and beloved figures in the history of Newcastle United".

"The proposal to make Kevin an Honorary Freeman of Newcastle, the highest civic honour, is a fitting recognition for one of the city's greatest icons."

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