'Big setback' for Best
The doctor treating George Best admits the Manchester United legend has suffered “a big setback” in his fight against illness in hospital.
The 59-year-old has a “new and severe infection” and is in intensive care at the Cromwell Hospital in west London, where he has been since being admitted at the beginning of October.
The former Northern Ireland international had been making steady progress but has now taken a turn for the worst, according to Professor Roger Williams.
Outside the hospital Professor Williams, who oversaw Best’s liver transplant three years ago, said: “Mr Best is not so well. He has been admitted back to intensive care. He has got a new and severe infection.
“He is on dialysis and he is very poorly at the moment. He was improving every day until yesterday afternoon and he was really pretty good.
“He was maintaining some progress each day and now he has acquired another infection as these patients are very susceptible to infection at this stage of recovery.”
Best’s infection is causing problems “with kidneys and everything else again.”
He added: “His breathing is okay. He is having oxygen but he is not on a ventilator.
“It is a big setback after some steady progress over the last two weeks.”
Professor Williams did not know how long Best would be in intensive care but he had a team of doctors with him and his girlfriend and his manager were both at the hospital.
He added: “He is conscious and just about talking. He was admitted at about 6am this morning from a ward upstairs.
“He is eating and was making good progress but we are all very disturbed at a sudden setback like this.”
The professor said he was hoping the infection would respond to antibiotics.
“We are not sure where the infection is. There are so many places it could be,” he said.
Asked if the current infection was life threatening, he said: “He is very ill at the minute so we’ll see how it goes during the day.”
Best’s son Calum arrived at the hospital in a black cab earlier today and went in without commenting.
Best’s former Manchester United team-mate Denis Law did not comment after arriving at the hospital, in contrast to last month when he had tearfully spoken of his shock at his former colleague’s condition.
Best had originally been admitted to hospital last month suffering “flu-like” symptoms before deteriorating further and being described as “severely ill” after a kidney infection was diagnosed.
The former European footballer of the year had a liver transplant at the Cromwell in 2002 after years of heavy drinking and the immuno-suppressant drugs he had been taking since the transplant made him more susceptible to infection, Prof Williams said last month.
However, he responded to antibiotics and was progressing before his latest setback.
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