Best given liver transplant

The former footballer George Best had a 10-hour liver transplant yesterday after a nine-month wait for a suitable donor.

He was recovering in intensive care last night, after a "difficult" operation that was made necessary because decades of drinking had left up to 80 per cent of his liver permanently damaged.

Best was told on Monday that a compatible donor liver had become available. He went to Cromwell Hospital in south-west London with his wife, Alex, for the operation yesterday morning.

The 56-year-old former Manchester United and Northern Ireland forward has stayed off alcohol for a year – the prerequisite for a liver transplant.

Professor Roger Williams, who supervised the operation, said: "It all looks very good. But he has to get through the first 24 hours. It's always a difficult time."