A MURDER hunt is under way after a football fan was killed during a violent struggle with a gang who tried to steal his car.

Glynn Ellis, of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was left trapped under his Ford Mondeo after being attacked by a five-strong group of men in the affluent Salford Quays area of Greater Manchester.

Mr Ellis, 46, was on his way home after watching his beloved Manchester United cruise to a 5-0 win in their Champions League qualifier against Hungarian team Zalaegerszegi on Tuesday night.

Police said he had been collecting the car from his brother's house when he was confronted by the gang, and became involved in a struggle when they attempted to steal it.

It is thought the men may have been lying in wait and pounced seconds after he reversed his car from the safety of the garage. He had left it running on the drive while he re-locked the garage.

The men jumped inside and tried to drive off, but Mr Ellis is thought to have been knocked down and dragged along some distance underneath the vehicle. His attackers fled when they were unable to move the car any further. Mr Ellis was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Last night, friends and colleagues of Mr Ellis, a geologist who worked as a surveyor for Tarmac, spoke of their shock and sadness at his death.

Neighbour Monica Charnock, who also lived in High Bond End, Knaresborough, said: "I liked him a lot - he was a friend and neighbour.

"We chatted from time to time and he was just a nice man who kept himself to himself. I really am upset about it - he didn't deserve this."

Ian Cameron, spokesman for Tarmac, said: "When his colleagues were told about what had happened in Manchester they were upset, shocked and distressed by the news. He was a very valued member of Tarmac Northern and all our sympathies go to his family."

Mr Ellis had parked his car at St Lawrence Quay - about 15 minutes walk from the Old Trafford ground - and returned at about 10.30pm, when what police described as "a tragic chain of events" unfolded.

Detective Superintendent Kevin Duffy said: "We do not yet know if the victim was run over deliberately or if the incident occurred by accident, but at this stage the man's death is being treated as murder. After a night out at the football, where he obviously had a good time, to end this way is tragic and these men must be caught."

Forensic experts were examining Mr Ellis' car yesterday, while members of the police underwater search team prepared to look for evidence in the network of canals and quays that make up the newly-redeveloped area.

Police were comforting Mr Ellis's parents at their home elsewhere in the Greater Manchester area, Mr Duffy added.

A post mortem examination has been carried out and, while police have not formally identified the victim, they said they were "99 per cent positive" that it was Mr Ellis.

He had recently been preparing to sell the cottage he owned in Knaresborough and was planning to move to nearby Harrogate. He was a keen sports fan and was a member of a tennis academy in Harrogate, as well as holding a season ticket for Manchester United.