Ian Rush recovering in hospital after being admitted to intensive care with flu

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah with Ian Rush.

Ian Rush is recovering in hospital after the former Liverpool and Wales striker was admitted to intensive care with flu.

Rush was taken to the Countess of Chester hospital last week after suffering breathing difficulties and spent two days in intensive care. The 64-year-old, who is an ambassador for Liverpool FC, has responded to treatment but remains in hospital.

A spokesperson for the Premier League club said: “Everyone at Liverpool wishes him a speedy recovery,” and thanked the hospital for “providing the best care possible for our legend and ambassador of the club”.

Rush is Liverpool’s all-time record men’s goalscorer, registering 346 goals in 660 appearances across two spells. He won five First Division titles and two European Cups, among other honours, after signing as a teenager from Chester in 1980 for a £300,000 fee. He scored in three FA Cup final victories for the Reds.

The striker spent 15 seasons at Liverpool between 1980 and 1996, broken by a single campaign in Serie A with Juventus in 1987-88. Rush moved to Leeds in 1996 and also played for Newcastle, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Sydney Olympic in his later career.

Rush won 73 caps for Wales, with his first coming just before he joined Liverpool in 1980. He was their leading men’s scorer with 28 goals until that record was overtaken by Gareth Bale in 2018.

After hanging up his boots in 2000, Rush moved into management and had an eight-month spell in charge of Chester. He was made an MBE in 1996, and regularly attends matches at Anfield in his role as a club ambassador.

NHS figures published on Thursday showed that flu cases in England are at a record level for the time of year, after jumping 55% in a week to an average 2,660 patients in hospital each day last week.