Sir Kenny Dalglish has revealed that he is undergoing treatment for cancer.
The former Liverpool player and manager, now 75, said he had shared a post on social media which had mistakenly included information about his diagnosis.
In a subsequent post, he wrote: “As my inadvertent social media post has indicated, I am currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
“Unlike my mobile phone use, the treatment is going well.
“Ideally, this would have remained private because that’s the way it should be, but my useless technology skills have forced my hand.
“I did not mean to make this matter public so I would appreciate it if the privacy of my family and myself are respected.
“As ever, thank you to the wonderful medical staff who have shown incredible care and discretion, not just for me but for many, many others. They are a credit to themselves.”
In a statement, Liverpool said: “The support, best wishes and love of everyone at Liverpool FC are, and will continue to be, with Sir Kenny and his family.
“The club would also like to underscore his request for privacy moving forward.”
Other clubs and figures from around the footballing world also offered their support.
Blackburn Rovers, with whom Dalglish won the Premier League as manager in 1995, wrote: “Sending all our love and support to Sir Kenny Dalglish, who has confirmed he is undergoing cancer treatment.”
Alan Shearer, who played in that Blackburn side, wrote: “Everyone is with you Kenny,” alongside a praying and a heart emoji.
Newcastle United, who Dalglish managed in 1997-98, also offered their support, writing: “Everyone at Newcastle United extends love and best wishes to Sir Kenny Dalglish and his family following his cancer diagnosis.”
Dalglish’s son Paul — himself a former footballer — wrote “Love you Dad. You got this.”
Dalglish won the league eight times as a player with Liverpool, along with three European Cups, two FA Cups and four League Cups.
He signed for the club from Celtic in 1977, where he had won the Scottish league title four times.
He also played a record 102 times for Scotland, scoring 30 goals.
After a successful stint as player-manager at Anfield, Dalglish became the manager outright before joining Blackburn Rovers, where he won the Premier League.
After spells at Newcastle and Celtic, Dalglish returned to Liverpool in 2011 and won the League Cup. He now has a stand named after him at Anfield.
The news comes two days after Kevin Keegan, who Dalglish was signed to replace at Liverpool, revealed he has stage four cancer.
