Gascoigne put on suicide watch

Rex Features

Paul Gascoigne has been put on suicide watch at Middleton St George Hospital, reports The Sun.

The ex-England international player was sectioned under the Mental Health Act yesterday following an incident at the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead.

Gascoigne was arrested on Wednesday night after causing a disturbance when he was refused a room at the hotel.

A source revealed that Gascoigne had been "raving in the back of the van, banging the sides and shouting his head off" as he was taken in a police van to a private hospital near Darlington.

Writing in his newspaper column, Gascoigne's former manager Terry Venables said: "I am really saddened to hear this news about Paul.

"It is no secret he has had troubles in recent years but I also know that he has been fighting hard to do the right things.

"The whole country will be upset by this news."

Fellow ex-England international Ian Wright said he thought Gascoigne was "the most gifted player of his generation".

Gascoigne rose to prominence in the 1990 World Cup, where he famously burst into tears after receiving a yellow card that would've ruled him out of the final.

He suffered a career-threatening knee injury in the 1991 FA Cup Final and struggled to regain his earlier form for club and country.