Alan Hansen battles serious illness in hospital

Liverpool legend and former Match of the Day pundit 'seriously ill'

Hansen, 68, makes rare public appearance at Arsenal match as tributes pour in

Former Liverpool captain and BBC Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen is seriously ill in hospital, the club has confirmed.

The 68-year-old, who made over 600 appearances for Liverpool between 1977 and 1991, was rushed to hospital on Tuesday night after falling ill at home.

Hansen, who won eight league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool, is understood to be in a stable condition but is said to be seriously ill.

Liverpool have released a statement saying that they are "deeply concerned" about Hansen's health and that their thoughts are with him and his family at this time.

Hansen's illness comes as a shock to the football world, as he had only recently made a rare public appearance at Arsenal's match against Manchester City on Sunday.

Tributes have poured in for Hansen from across the football community, with many former players and managers taking to social media to express their concern and support.

BBC Sport pundit Gary Lineker tweeted: "Very sad news about Alan Hansen. A great player and a brilliant pundit. Thinking of him and his family at this difficult time."

Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness, who played alongside Hansen for Liverpool, choked up on ITV's Euro 2024 coverage of Germany v Scotland as he spoke about his former teammate.

"Alan is a great friend of mine and I'm devastated to hear this news," Souness said.

"He's a fighter and I know he'll be doing everything he can to get through this. Our thoughts are with him and his family."