Legendary football manager Brian Clough is recovering at a North-East clinic after undergoing a liver transplant.

The 67-year-old was recuperating following the major surgery which took place last week. The former Nottingham Forest manager underwent the liver swap at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman released a brief statement today which said: ''He is stable and he has had a liver transplant.''

She added: ''He is doing extremely well.''

A typical liver transplant patient required two weeks recuperation in hospital, the spokeswoman said.

She told PA News: ''It all depends on how well they are doing.''

Clough led Nottingham Forest to two European Cup triumphs during his career as a manager which also saw him win the Division One title with Derby County.

As a player, he won two England caps and scored 251 goals in 274 games as a striker for Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

His son Nigel, 32, was also capped by England and has followed his father into football management at non-league Burton Albion.

In the book Walking on Water, written last year with Sun columnist John Sadler, Clough, a father of three, revealed the damage heavy drinking had done to his health.

He told how he had sought help after his grandson Stephen pleaded with him: ''You're not having a drink, Grandad, are you?''

He added: ''I was spending time drinking when I should have been doing other things. ''It was bound to take over. If you do something to excess, something has to suffer somewhere.

''Drink became more important to me than the anguish I was creating for those I loved most.'' Last year former Manchester United idol George Best received a liver transplant at London's Cromwell Hospital. The 56-year-old became seriously ill after years of heavy drinking.