Hoddle on course to make a ‘full recovery’ following heart attack
Glenn Hoddle is showing signs he will make a full recovery and is talking to family after undergoing major heart surgery, a close friend has told Telegraph Sport.
The former England manager is said to be showing “no signs of brain damage” after he collapsed and lost consciousness while on set working as a pundit for BT Sport.
“All the indications are he is responding well to the treatment and could make a full recovery in the course of time,” said the friend, who did not wish to be named.
“He had a good night’s sleep and was talking on Sunday. He’s had major heart surgery. He’s going to take some time to recover but there are no signs of brain damage and there are signs he is going to make a full recovery.”
Simon Daniels, a freelance sound engineer with BT, used a defibrillator to keep Hoddle alive after he suffered a heart attack at the studio on Saturday.
Daniels, who is also a special constable, said his first-aid training “kicked in”, leaving him no time to worry if Hoddle would survive. “I’m not a hero, I was just doing what I was trained for,” Daniels told the BBC.
A spokesman for Hoddle refused to comment on reports that he was now out of intensive care. A statement on behalf of the family said Hoddle remained in a “serious condition” but “continues to respond well to treatment”. Journalist and author Norman Giller previously wrote online that Hoddle had three stents inserted after “a massive heart attack”.
Hoddle, who turned 61 on Saturday, was taken ill shortly before he was due to appear as a pundit on the BT Sport Score show. The football world has sent a flood of support to the former Spurs midfielder, who won 53 caps for England.
England manager Gareth Southgate, who played under Hoddle for England, said: “Everybody across the game is right behind one of English football’s greats and we are willing him to pull through.”
Graeme Souness referred to Hoddle as a “class act” when speaking on Sky Sports. “He is genuinely one of life’s good guys,” the former Liverpool midfielder added.