Ray Wilkins has been placed in an induced coma after suffering a cardiac arrest and a fall. The Chelsea legend and former England international was taken to St George’s Hospital in south London on Friday night with his son Ross saying it would be “touch and go whether my father will get through this”.

“He’s in hospital, he’s had a cardiac arrest and is in intensive care,” Jackie Wilkins, his wife, told the Daily Mirror. “He is not in a good state at all, I’m afraid. He’s critically ill. The cardiac arrest led to a fall which has meant he’s had to be put in an induced coma. It’s very, very bad.”

The 61-year-old won 84 England caps between 1976 and 1986 and had a hugely successful playing and coaching career starting at Chelsea and Manchester United before spells at Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers and Queens Park Rangers, among others. Many of these clubs posted messages of support on Friday.

Wilkins was given the all clear after a double-heart bypass last summer and also revealed in 2014 that he was battling ulcerative colitis but he has worked regularly as a media pundit, appearing on Alan Brazil’s breakfast show on Talksport as recently as Tuesday morning.

“It’s a very difficult time for the family. He’s going to have a further scan on Tuesday,” his wife added. “We hope to have an update then.”