Football fans of a certain age will remember Alan Kennedy.

For supporters of the beautiful game born after 1980, Kennedy was a marauding left-back for Newcastle and Liverpool, winning countless trophies during his time on Merseyside from the late 70s to mid 80s in an era when the Reds were even more dominant than Manchester City are today.

Kennedy was good, very good, winning five championships, four League Cups and two European Cups during his time at Liverpool, scoring the only goal of the game when Bob Paisley’s team defeated Real Madrid in the European Cup final in 1981.

Kennedy also won two England caps – not enough for a player of his ability – but now, at the advanced age of 63, the Liverpool legend is nurturing dreams of playing for England again.

That’s because he’s put his name forward to play for England Over-60s walking football team. He’s due to take part in a trial at Burnley a week on Saturday – one of a series of trials organised by new England Over-60s manager Stuart Langworthy.

Langworthy, who has done so much over the years to make Gloucester-based club Abbeymead Rovers Football Club the force they are today, took over the England reins at the end of October and has already held trials at Cirencester Arena and Millwall. It will be him who decides whether Kennedy has what it takes to play for England again.

So how does he feel about making a judgement on one of the most decorated English footballers of all time?

“A bit nervous,” he admitted. “It’s going to be down to me whether he plays or not and, yes, after all he’s achieved in football I am very nervous. It’s bizarre, it’s surreal.”

And Kennedy isn’t the only player with a well-known surname set to attend one of at least two further trials.

“Tommy Charlton, the brother of Bobby and Jack, is also coming for a trial,” Langworthy added.

Langworthy, a well-known free-scoring striker around Gloucester and a bit further afield back in the day, has also organised an over-60 walking football trial at Solihull in April and may yet arrange one more in early May.

“We’ve had about 30 players turn up for each of the two trials so far,” said 56-year-old Langworthy, “so that means we could be selecting from 150 players.”

And with only 20 places up for grabs for Langworthy’s first games in charge at the end of May, it means there are going to be quite a few disappointed players.

“We’re playing Italy at the end of May and we’re picking two squads of 10 – a first-team squad and a shadow squad,” said Langworthy. “They will have two teams as well so we will likely play some form of tournament.”

That may take place at Anfield – almost certainly you would think if Kennedy is selected – and will kick-start a busy period for Langworthy and his men.

“We’ve been invited to Lisbon for a tournament in October where we will also be playing a demonstration game in front of an expected crowd of 4,000,” said Langworthy. “Then we’ve got the first ever European Championships in this country in 2019 and, fingers crossed, the World Cup in 2020.”

It means Langworthy, who is delighted that his 25-year-old son Ross, who holds a UEFA B coaching licence, has stepped in as interim coach of the over-60s, will be busy, very busy. Not that’s he’s taking much of a breather now.

“I still work two days a week at Cotswold School,” he said, “and the walking football takes up at least three days a week. And I’m still heavily involved with Abbeymead Rovers.”

Abbeymead have been one of the clubs helping to drive forward walking football and Langworthy is delighted that the club have now added another weekly session for wannabe walking footballers in and around the area.

“We’ve secured funding to hold sessions on Monday mornings from mid-March at the Abbeydale Community Centre,” said Langworthy. “That’s in addition to the regular Wednesday evening sessions.”

Langworthy has spent a lifetime offering as many opportunities to others as possible. But while he clearly enjoys his new England role, he hasn’t yet got to the stage where he is ready to give up playing altogether.

“Abbeymead have put me forward to play for the England Over-50 walking football team,” he chuckled. “There are five of us from the club taking part – the others are Steve Cox, Andy Billingham, Mark Whiting and Louie Henry-Neyegon.”

And they’re not the only players from Abbeymead hoping to be involved with the national walking football set-up.

“Two Abbeymead players – Terry Smith and Chris Fletcher – took part in the over-60 trials,” added Langworthy.

So will they get favourable treatment from the boss?

“No way,” laughed Langworthy. “They can creep all they like, it’s all done on merit!”