The end seems close for Best

Former soccer superstar George Best clung onto life overnight, but the gravely ill one-time Manchester United winger is not expected to last the day, his doctor said on Friday.

"I will see him later this morning, but I really can't see him surviving the day ... I may be wrong but the complications he has had, make recovery impossible," Professor Roger Williams told BBC radio.

He said Best, 59, is receiving basic medical care to ensure he is as comfortable as possible but nothing could be done to improve his condition.

Best, who has had an alcohol problem for much of his adult life and received a liver transplant in 2002, has been in hospital since the beginning of October. He was put on a life support machine last week after he picked up a lung infection.

Williams said his patient had known he should not have continued to drink after the transplant and had been very "apologetic" about failing to give up alcohol.

Overnight several floral tributes were placed outside the Cromwell Hospital in London, along with a Manchester United shirt.

Most of Friday's British newspapers led with tributes to the player, who at the height of his fame in the 1960s, he was dubbed the "fifth Beatle".

The former Northern Ireland international is regarded by many as the greatest player ever to come from the British Isles. He had a dazzling career at Manchester United and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968.

With his good looks, agility on the pitch and an engaging personality, he was adored by millions in the 1960s and held in great affection in subsequent decades despite his descent into alcoholism, allegations of violence and a tortured personal life.

He once quipped: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."