Gascoigne: 'I sometimes wish I'd died'

Paul Gascoigne has admitted that he sometimes wishes he had died in his recent car crash.

The former England footballing legend was reportedly left choking on his own blood after the incident earlier this month.

Gascoigne told The Sun that his death would allow him to reunite with his old manager Bobby Robson, who lost his battle with lung cancer last July.

"I miss him so much. I'm a big fan," Gascoigne said. "In that car crash I sometimes wish if I had passed away I could meet Sir Bobby upstairs instead.

"I would say to Bobby, 'How are you?'. After matches he'd hug the players and say, 'You did well for me'. I loved that about him. He was a great man. I just wish our World Cup squad could have won in South Africa for Sir Bobby."

He added of his recent car accident: "If you go down the town, accept a lift and end up with broken bones, cuts and stitches all over your body, it's a huge shock. I woke up in hospital cut and bruised with a sore chest and unable to breathe properly.

"I saw the impact coming and my blood on the windscreen, so I thought I was going to die. While lying unconscious in the street someone nicked my gold necklace. That isn't nice. It's disgusting.

"I've nothing against the woman who was driving the car - but I'm not happy about it. I'll get through it, though. I'll bounce back."