Roger Williams, the doctor who has overseen Best's treatment, said the 59-year-old former Manchester United and Northern Ireland winger's condition was now "very definitely a little better" than it was on Thursday.

However, Williams cautioned he did not want "to raise any hopes" as he spoke to reporters outside the private Cromwell Hospital in west London, where he was admitted four weeks ago.

"I never said that we give him a good chance, but we go on treating him day by day. He is a very sick man," Williams said.

Best, viewed by some as a near-equal to football greats Pele and Diego Maradona in his prime, was admitted to the hospital on October 1 with an infection that has spread to several organs, including the liver and kidneys.

His condition had worsened dramatically over the last few days as the infection spread to his bowels, which began to bleed. Best, who is attached to a ventillator, has been kept sedated since Wednesday.

Best's doctors on Thursday changed his antibiotics and began treating his blood loss in a different way, Williams added.

The infection was linked to immuno-suppressant drugs used to help prevent the rejection of the liver transplant Best received in 2002 following decades of alcohol abuse, Williams said earlier.

Williams, who carried out the transplant, said the patient's signs were "somewhat improved and I think the bleeding's a little less. It has certainly been less overnight."

He added: "I have had lots of letters from people saying, 'Please look after him,' and that sort of thing."

Former soccer star Denis Law wept after seeing his ex-team-mate lying in the hospital bed.

"He does not look good but he is fighting," Law said later, wiping tears from his eyes with a tissue. "I did get a shock, the man's not looking good."

Sir Alex Ferguson, the current boss at Manchester United, said "everyone at the club is praying for him. We hope he pulls through this recent dip in his health."

His son Calum Best, 24, who visited him on Friday, was quoted earlier in the Daily Express newspaper as saying it had been a "very emotional time" for the family. "It's looking pretty bleak at the moment."

Best began drinking heavily during his playing days and later became an alcoholic, bringing on a succession of health problems which led eventually to the liver transplant, during which he nearly died.

However, he was drinking again within a year.

Best earned his status when he helped Manchester United to win the English league championship in 1965 and 1967 and the European Cup in 1968.

Voted European Player of the Year in 1968, Best's ability, coupled with his long-haired good looks and sometimes wild temperament, led him into party-going habits which took an increasing toll on his career.

By 26 his top-level playing career was over, a fact viewed by many football experts as a tragic waste of his unique talent.