Former Manchester United [Images] player George Best's condition has "deteriorated dramatically" as he fights a life-threatening infection in a London [Images] hospital, newspapers reported on Thursday.

The 59-year-old, who has been in intensive care since October 2, suffered internal bleeding and his condition was "as serious as it can get", his agent Phil Hughes was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.

Best has had an alcohol problem for much of his adult life and underwent a liver transplant in 2002 after years of heavy drinking.

His former wife, Alex Best, said she had been told that Best's condition had "deteriorated dramatically" during Wednesday, according to a BBC report.

"I am just praying that, once again, he somehow manages to pull through against all the odds," she said.

Several newspapers ran front page stories saying Best was close to death.

However, his liver surgeon, Professor Roger Williams, told the Daily Telegraph that, although seriously ill, the severity of his condition had been exaggerated.

"He is still in intensive care and will be while we are struggling with this problem," he said.

"He has not given up and nor have we."

Best's agent, doctor and a spokesman at the private Cromwell Hospital, west London, could not be reached for comment on the reports.

Belfast-born Best was regarded by many as the greatest player to come from the British Isles.

He had a dazzling but short career at Manchester United, winning the European Cup in 1968 when he was named European Footballer of the Year.

Nicknamed "the 5th Beatle", Best is widely seen as the first superstar soccer player, attracting frenzied media coverage as much for his colourful private life as his on-field talent.

His career nose-dived when he left United and he has remained dogged by alcohol problems since.

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

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