Hoddle on road to recovery

GLENN HODDLE is showing signs that he will make a full recovery and he is talking to family after undergoing major heart surgery.

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, who turned 61 on Saturday, 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”. (© Daily Telegraph, London)