Gordon Strachan has paid tribute to his friend and former team-mate Alan Hansen, who is seriously ill in hospital.
One of Hansen’s former teams, Liverpool, took to their social media channels to announce the news on Sunday afternoon and sent their best wishes to the former defender and his family.
They also confirmed that they are in direct contact with the Hansen family and asked for their privacy to be respected.
Tributes have poured in for the 69-year-old, who played alongside Strachan in Scotland and the pair have remained good friends for several years since.
Former midfielder Strachan spoke on Thursday as he extended good wishes to his fellow Scot, adding that he too is thinking of him and wishes him the best in his recovery.
Gordon Strachan has paid tribute to his friend and former teammate Alan Hansen, who is seriously ill in hospital.
Hansen’s former team Liverpool (right) revealed the news online on Sunday afternoon.
Strachan (fifth left) and Hansen (second right) played together for Scotland and have remained good friends ever since.
“He’s also been a good golf teammate,” Strachan said. “To be fair, I used to play with (Kenny) Dalglish and him, and they beat me at that too.
“He beats football, he beats golf. I’m used to him beating me at golf with him.” One of the calmest men in the world and one of the best players Scotland has ever seen.
‘We are thinking about him right now. He’s one of those guys that you think he can’t get sick, he’s always in good shape, he looked good, calm.
‘All we can do is think about him. He is in our thoughts, all Strachans think of him.
Liverpool sent a touching birthday message to Hansen on his 69th birthday, which was Thursday.
His former club wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “We are all thinking of Alan and his family on his 69th birthday,” accompanied by a heart emoji.
The Scot played for the Reds between 1977 and 1991, making 620 appearances for the club after joining from Partick Thistle. He retired in March 1991 and moved into broadcasting.
Hansen became one of the most popular broadcasters in the country, most notably for his work on Match of the Day.
He also became a newspaper columnist and coined the phrase “you can’t win anything with children” after evaluating Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa in 1995.
His last stint at the BBC was during the 2014 World Cup, and his contract expired after the tournament.
Strachan called Hansen, who played alongside his country’s former midfielder, “one of the best players Scotland has ever seen”.
Scotland assistant manager John Carver paid tribute to the former defender on the eve of the start of their Euro 2024 campaign.
Meanwhile, the Scottish FA extended its heartfelt wishes to national team icon Hansen ahead of his first match at Euro 2024.
Steve Clarke’s side will begin the tournament on Friday night against their home country of Germany, but will do so with Hansen firmly on their minds.
Assistant manager John Carver said in the build-up to the match: “I would just like to get a message across to say that everyone, the players, the staff, everyone involved with the SFA, are really thinking about themselves (Hansen) and their family because it is an extremely difficult time.
“The biggest thing I noticed was that he was a fantastic defender, but also a ball-playing centre-back. He was probably one of the first ones I remember seeing play.