Alan Hansen, the broadcaster and former Liverpool and Scotland footballer, has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home, his family said.
Liverpool football club said two weeks ago that Hansen, 69, who was a key central defender in the club’s most successful period in the late 1970s and 1980s, was “seriously ill” in hospital.
But on Sunday the club shared a positive update from his family on its website, which read: “Alan has been discharged from hospital today to continue his recovery at home.
“Alan, Janet, Adam, Lucy and family would like to thank everybody for their wonderful messages of love and support. It has been overwhelming and has helped enormously.
“We also hugely appreciate the ongoing respect that has been shown for our privacy as Alan continues his recovery.”
In a post on X, Lauren Dalglish, a daughter of Kenny Dalglish, one of Hansen’s Scotland and Liverpool teammates, said: “The Best News!!! Welcome Home, Uncle Alan.”
Last week, Graeme Souness, another of Hansen’s Scotland and Liverpool teammates, gave an encouraging update on his friend’s health after speaking to him on the phone.
On Monday Souness said: “I spoke to him yesterday and he sounded fabulous so I hope that’s him on the way to a full recovery.”
Souness told TalkSport: “He’s definitely back because he did nothing but take the mickey out of me. He’s been in a difficult place but the way he sounded yesterday, he’s back, and I hope I’m right.”
Hansen joined Liverpool from Partick Thistle in 1977 and won three European Cups, eight league titles, two FA Cups and three League Cups in 620 appearances for the Anfield club before retiring in March 1991 due to injury.
After he stopped playing, Hansen began a long stint as a pundit on Match of the Day, where he earned a reputation for pithy, authoritative and sometimes gruff insights into the game.
Hansen retired from punditry in May 2014 and has largely lived a quiet life since. He is married and has two children.
