Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini has revealed he is to undergo a triple heart bypass operation.
Gabbiadini, now a pundit on BBC Radio Newcastle’s Total Sport programme, has urged anyone worried about potential symptoms to see a doctor straight away.
The 56-year-old said he felt what he described as a "slight issue" in his chest earlier this year.
Having sought medical advice, he said the results of an angiogram proved to be quite a shock, adding: "I found out I’ve been working on about 20% of the capacity of my heart."
Gabbiadini, who was born in Nottingham and started his career with York City, took to the field almost 200 times for Sunderland between 1987-91.