Former Manchester United soccer player George Best is expected to leave intensive care within the next couple of days after making a slight improvement from a kidney infection, a hospital spokesman said on Tuesday.

Professor Roger Williams told GMTV that Best is in a "serious but improving" condition after being admitted to the Cromwell Hospital in London.

"He is a very good patient and I have been his doctor for a good long time," Williams said. "Everybody is different, everybody has problems."

Belfast-born Best, regarded by many as the greatest player to come from the British Isles, has had an alcohol problem for much of his life and underwent a liver transplant in 2002 after years of heavy drinking.

He was taken to hospital on Sunday night after becoming severely ill. His agent Philip Hughes said on Monday that the former player had suffered a reaction to the treatment he was receiving for his new liver.

The 59-year-old had a dazzling but short career at Manchester United, winning the European Cup in 1968 when he was named European Footballer of the Year.

His career nosedived when he left United aged just 26, however, and he has remained dogged by alcohol problems.

Earlier reports:
- Soccer great George Best arrested
- Owen is better than Beckham: Best