Former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England defender Kenny Sansom has been diagnosed with a form of dementia.
Sansom, 62, has Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a type of brain disorder and form of dementia that is “reversible and treatable”.
He was admitted to hospital in May but is now out and “settled in new accommodation”.
In a statement, Crystal Palace said Sansom is in the “early stages of the illness”.
“With the support of his family and carers, he is on the first steps of his road to recovery,” the club said. “Those closest to him are encouraged by his progress and the positive attitude he is showing in difficult circumstances.”
Sansom made his debut at 16 for Crystal Palace in 1975, before going on to play for Arsenal, Newcastle, QPR and Coventry.
He won 86 caps for England, playing at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and made 394 appearances for Arsenal.
One of the main causes of Wernicke-Korsakoff is drinking too much alcohol.
Sansom has had well-publicised problems with alcoholism and gambling.
He is one of several former footballers to have been diagnosed with dementia.
Previous research has shown that ex-professionals are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than the general population.
In November, the Professional Footballers’ Association set up a brain injury disease taskforce and called for heading in training to be reduced in order to protect current players while a potential link between heading and long-term brain injuries is examined further.
