GRAEME SOUNESS: I’m praying for Alan Hansen as he fights for his life. The best of men, he is a rascal with a ruthless sense of humour

Like everyone else, I was shocked to hear the news this week that my very good friend Alan Hansen was seriously ill.

It is a desperate time for his wife Janet, his children Adam and Lucy and everyone close to him.

I pray, I don’t know to whom, but I pray that he will be around soon to return to his usual duties.

Alan is a rare breed in life in that I don’t know anyone who has a bad word to say about him.

The best footballing central defender ever. He is a crook with a ruthless sense of humor. Great company, a great storyteller… and apparently a great memory.

His memory of events may be different from mine, but he always tells a story with such confidence that I come away thinking ‘he’s right then’. He always seems so confident.

If there was ever a disagreement in the locker room, it was always Kenny Dalglish and I who were the gobby, and if there was ever any resistance, the debate was always cut short by Big Al’s interjection. All it took was a customary shake of the head and a small sharp remark. He was the subtle one of the three of us. His brief, intellectual intervention would stop the debate and Kenny and I would win the argument. That’s teamwork. We were very tight – although nowadays I think you would have the other players running to the Human Resources department to complain that they were being bullied!

We used to always have the ‘Three Jocks photo’ with every trophy we won every season. Phil Thompson, Phil Neal, Terry McDermott and Emlyn Hughes were always trying to get into the photos, but we pushed them away to make sure we had our own little snapshot: ‘Jocks Only’. Three great friends together. In later years Steve Nicol and Gary Gillespie would also be allowed on.

You can say whatever name you want, but believe me, Alan was the best footballing central defender ever. He was a midfielder in disguise. Someone you couldn’t dispossess in a phone booth.

He drove me crazy sometimes. I’d lose my patience and snap, “Is there any danger you’re going to pass me the damn ball?” And he turned around and said, ‘Why should I pass it on to you when I can do it better?’

He was such a natural athlete. He likes golf, he was also a good squash player. He would have been good at any sport he wanted to dedicate himself to.

Before a game, we were all in the locker room doing our individual warm-ups and he was sitting with his legs crossed singing Billy Joel’s songs, “Don’t go Changing” and all that, while he read the program from cover to cover. Then, when the bell rang to go out and play, he would stand up and appear to have the stiffest back ever, making a painful face as he straightened up, and then, within five minutes of the start of the game, he gave the opponent’s fastest player an edge and still won the race.

He was lightning fast.

He later said he was nervous before a match, but you never knew that then. Half an hour before a football match and he looked like he wasn’t worried.

No matter what happened, Alan rarely looked disturbed.

We could play in a farm field or a field. Mark Lawrenson would be covered in mud from head to toe after five minutes and yet after 90 minutes Alan would look as if he had just stepped out of the Marks and Spencer window, without a speck of dirt on him. Lawro would love a tackle, but Alan never went to ground. He always read the game, thought ahead, a great player.

People talk about playing high defensive lines, Liverpool did that in the 70s because we had him in our team and we knew he could give anyone a three-yard lead and catch them.

Manchester United supporters would think Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were the best partnership. Chelsea fans may say John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, but as good as they were, there has never been a better partnership than Alan and Lawro. One was very aggressive, the other didn’t have to be. They were way ahead of their time. If you want to see a defensive masterclass, just watch the 1984 European Cup Final – Roma in Rome – when they never gave their World Cup-winning forwards a sniff.

Alan always seemed too smart, both on and off the field. Even when he’s bluffing, he’s so convincing that you believe him. He is a man you can always count on.

More than thirty years ago, when I had my heart operation, he was the first to drive to Manchester to see me in hospital.

If I expected sympathy, I would be in for a shock. His humor is ruthless. He took the mickey out of me as if I had undergone a minor procedure. That sharp sense of humor, you’re a brave man to tackle it. I just had to laugh and take it on the chin. That banter we had and used to share in Liverpool, those are days I wish I could relive. He is simply the best among men. I just can’t believe he’s fighting for his life.

MAN UNITED MUST FIND ANOTHER WAY

Erik ten Hag knows that his team will have to play very differently next year.

There needs to be a complete change in their performances or he won’t be around after Christmas.

The fact that they interviewed other people for his work says it all. Winning the FA Cup was about covering up the fact that last season was simply unacceptable. The statistics underline this.

He can’t rely on the two teenagers in Alejandro Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo to carry the battle. United need to buy players and get a completely different tune to the existing one.

There is no doubt that his position has been undermined by the way the owners have handled it, but he must now find a way to get his players to believe in him again.

KINDNESS ARE A WASTE OF TIME

Don’t read about England’s defeat to Iceland last week.

For the English players, it was a match they could have done without, risking injury so close to a major tournament. For Iceland it was the highlight of their career as they got the chance to beat England at Wembley with the world watching.

I was encouraged not to play in international friendlies as a player. When I started looking at them as a manager for future contracts, I thought I quickly discovered that you never learn anything from them. Friendlies are a waste of time. Nothing has diminished my belief that England will get through the group stages.

They have shortcomings in defense and the fitness of John Stones will be important, but England are a very dangerous team because of their attacking players.

There is talk about a physical character of Serbia. I don’t think that applies to the current officials anymore. I fully expect England to be in the final on July 14th.

A PROUD DAY

I am absolutely thrilled to be receiving a CBE.

It is an incredibly proud moment and an honor for me, my wife, children and my entire family. I’m excited, but I have to give a lot of credit to the role my swim team played. Without them I would never have been able to do what I did last year in the English Channel for the DEBRA charity of which I am vice-president. The award is a great way to raise awareness and awareness of this terrible disease Epidermolysis Bullosa. We need more energy and support because at DEBRA we are in a battle that we cannot afford to lose.