To top off beating cancer, a Deal football player has met with his Manchester United idols.

Deal Community Sports Football Club player, Tommy Wood, of Trinity Place, recently visited Old Trafford for a day to remember with his favourite football club.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a tour of the stadium and had photographs taken with his role model Ryan Giggs as well as other players including Wayne Rooney.

He also enjoyed a three and a half hour buffet lunch with them.

He said: “I went to the training ground at 10am. I was greeted by Ryan Giggs and the manager then we had lunch in the Jimmy Murphy Centre. We watched the players train and then they all came up.”

Mr Wood says he was starstruck, especially when he realised he was eating lunch with Wayne Rooney.

He said: “The players were really nice. Most of them wanted to know about my illness and what it was like being in hospital. We had a really nice chat.”

The A1 Castles taxi office worker also received a number of signed goods which he took home to share with his three-year-old son Brooklyn, who is also a Man United fan.

Mr Wood was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called Burkitt’s Lymphoma in October 2013.

Prior to his diagnosis he played 18 times for Deal Community Sports FC during the 2012/13 season but could only manage four appearances the following season as he fought the disease.

He received the all clear in February 2014 and has now returned to the game.

He said: “I’d like to say thank you to the Dreams Come True charity for making it happen and all the nurses at the Royal Marsden Hospital because without them I probably wouldn’t be here.”