Paul McGrath's daughter-in-law has revealed her heartache at not being able to see him this Christmas.
Nicola McGrath, who is married to the legendary footballer's son Chris, says she misses the Republic of Ireland great "so much".
Writing a message on social media, which the former defender shared on his Instagram story, Nicola said: "Another year of covid and another year not seeing you.
"I miss you so much. Merry Christmas father @paulnumber5.
"Love you so much and I can't wait till I can see you again."
It comes as the ex-Manchester United and Aston Villa star urged people not to "dwell on the dark days behind us" in a Christmas message.
He posted on Instagram: "Don’t dwell on the dark days behind us and look forward to the brighter ones ahead.
"Have a Safe, Happy & Healthy Christmas everyone.
"It’s a sad time for so many
"Look after each other & Stay safe x."
Meanwhile, McGrath recently described his first encounter with a young Roy Keane as 'frightening'.
He told SportsJoe: "I would have known about Roy from coming up against him at Nottingham Forest [when I was at Aston Villa].
"Jeez, he was frightening.
"I played against him up at the City Ground, because this lad ran from box to box, and wouldn't stop running.
Keane's meteoric rise through the ranks across the Irish Sea saw him turn quite a few heads due to his early breakthrough, but McGrath and his Ireland teammates were delighted to see him progress into a leader on and off the pitch.
McGrath continued: "He kind of scared a few people, as well, because he was Irish and people [in England] were a bit more wary of him and were wondering, 'Where did he come from?'
"Because the Irish lads were often coming over at a later age and had not gone through the youth systems over there. He appeared and he was absolutely brilliant."
He added: "When he was on a football pitch, doing a 5-a-side or anything like that, he was frightening, because he was that good.
"He'd take the ball from anyone and he'd keep it, right until he was ready to give it to someone else!
"So, we knew all about him and we were thrilled that he was maturing into this kind of leader, as well."
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