George Best fighting for life

George Best was clinging to life in hospital last night after his condition took a turn for the worse.

The former Manchester United star, 59, was suffering from internal bleeding and was on a life support machine.

His former wife, Alex, said: 'I have been told that George's condition has deteriorated dramatically during today. I am just praying that, once again, he somehow manages to pull through against all the odds. My thoughts and prayers are with him.'

Some reports suggested Best had sent farewell messages to friends and ex-lovers saying: 'I'm near the end.'

His agent, Phil Hughes, said last night it was 'as bad as it gets'. He added: 'He came in with a chest infection originally but now that has spread to his kidneys and it is affecting his other organs. He has been unconscious since 1pm today.'

Prof Roger Williams, who is in charge of Best's care, said: 'He is certainly severely ill and is fighting for his life. He is in intensive care while we are struggling with this problem. But he's a tough person who does not give up easily. He has not given up and neither have we.

'He has had a medical problem for the past few days. While he was picking up he developed a problem which we are struggling with.'

The physician said he had not traced the cause of the bleeding. He added: 'There's still a chance we can get him through this.'

Alcoholic Best has spent three weeks in the private Cromwell Hospital in west London after being struck with an infection.

The star, who also played for Northern Ireland, had a life-saving liver transplant in 2002 following his well-documented drinking problems.

Prof Williams has said Best's recent infection was not directly related to his alcohol problems. But he would have been more prone to illness because he has been on drugs to suppress his immune system and prevent his body rejecting his new liver.