I have been playing with stage one to, right now, stage five kidney disease

COTTAGERS STAR MCDONALD FACES KIDNEY TRANSPLANT THAT MAY END HIS CAREER AT 32, BUT INSISTS: I JUST WANT A NORMAL LIFE

FULHAM’S Kevin Mcdonald faces a kidney transplant next month after revealing he has been battling the chronic disease for 12 years.

Mcdonald, 32, who has not played for the Cottagers since July, has had problems with kidney failure for virtually his whole career.

The former Wolves midfielder, who has been at Fulham since 2016 and twice been part of Championship promotionwinning teams, explained how either his best friend or his brother could be the donor.

In an emotional interview, Mcdonald (right) said: “I have been under doctor’s orders my whole career. No one sees this part of football. I have had people asking why am I not playing, why do I not go on loan.

But it is something we did not want to share until now.”

Mcdonald realised he had the life-threatening condition at his medical when he joined

Burnley from Dundee in 2008. He said: “It showed I had blood and protein in my urine.

“I didn’t concern myself. I remember thinking I had some sort of kidney issue, give me a couple of tablets.

“We hoped to get through my career and then get a transplant. But I have one kidney that does not work at all and another that’s at probably 10 per cent now. I have been playing with stage one to, right now, stage five kidney disease.”

Mcdonald, who has won five Scotland caps, is aware the operation could end his 16-year playing career, which took the midfielder to Dundee, Burnley, Sheffield United and Wolves. But he said: “I have prepared myself my whole career, knowing this was the end goal.

“We wanted it to happen after football and do it at say 40 years old, but it is going to come quicker. We are hoping to get it done by the end of April.

“I want it to get back to a normal life – I take 10 tablets a day. It is humbling having people offer you a kidney. And there are benefits in having a living donor and getting it before dialysis, so there are so many pros to get it done sooner rather than later.

“Obviously the person who is going to end up doing it, then I owe my life to them.

“I know when I get the transplant I might not want to come back and play football. I might not be able to physically do it.

“I need to prepare my mind to maybe not play again, which I am comfortable with.

“The doctors are confident I can get back, but the priority is my wife and family. If it means retiring at 32, then I’ve had a great career.”

SIX into 10 will not go for Gareth Southgate.

The England boss, however, is simply delighted to have so many creative options at his disposal for this summer’s European Championship.

Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, James Maddison and the resurgent Jesse Lingard (all above) are the men most likely to be in the England coach’s thinking as his No.10.

After so many root and branch reviews following the big tournament heartbreaks, however, Southgate believes his conundrum is proof that the subsequent work put in by clubs has paid off.

“When you have got a choice of some outstanding talent, of course there are big decisions you have to make,” said Southgate .

“But what is exciting is that for years, we talked about development in English football and asked, ‘Where are the creative players? How do we develop those types of player?’

“We’ve have had root and branch reviews of everything from grassroots football to academy football to everything for decades.

“Now, huge credit to the clubs and to junior football.

The style and skill level of the kids in some of the cages in the cities and the raw talent – a different type of skill level – coming through is hugely exciting.”

Southgate paid tribute to the many English youngsters plying their trade abroad – including Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham, Tottenham’s Ryan Sessegnon on loan at German club Hoffenheim and Fikayo Tomori, on loan at AC Milan.

The England boss (above) added: “It is a brilliant life experience as much as anything. Those boys who are playing at a big club – 80,000 at Dortmund when the fans are in, playing

Champions League football. When I watch the German league, which I watch a lot now because of Jadon and Jude and Ryan, it is a great league for young players.

“You have the games against the Bayern Munichs and Leipzigs but you also have teams who would not be so competitive in the Premier League, so those boys can play a bit more freely and get a few more opportunities. It is almost perfect.

“It is something we lacked in the past. You get to play against players we did not know about. There was always a bit of fear about the unknown. If you were playing against Brazil, you never played against those players until you got to a World Cup. You never saw them, that’s why we got so excited about tuning in to watch them.

“Now you see them around Europe and play against them in the Champions League – those boys might play against them in league matches.

“We have got Kieran Trippier of course at Atletico Madrid, top of the league.

“Fikayo is on loan at Milan. It is a great loan. He could have gone somewhere in England but he is now at a huge club with matches right at the top of the table.”