Shearer hails Dalglish and Keegan as 'superb men' after both receive cancer diagnoses

Alan Shearer has described Sir Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan as “superb men” after both football legends publicly confirmed they are currently receiving cancer treatment.

Keegan’s family released a statement revealing that the former Newcastle and England manager had been admitted to hospital following ongoing abdominal symptoms, with investigations leading to a cancer diagnosis. “Kevin is grateful to the medical team for their intervention and ongoing care,” the statement read. “During this difficult time, the family are requesting privacy.”

Dalglish’s diagnosis became public after an inadvertent social media post. The former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers manager subsequently confirmed the news himself, writing: “I am currently undergoing treatment for cancer. Unlike my mobile phone use, the treatment is going well. Ideally, this would have remained private because that’s the way it should be, but my useless technology skills have forced my hand.” He added his thanks to medical staff, describing them as “a credit to themselves.”

Shearer, who played under both men at club and international level, responded with a heartfelt tribute. “Both Sir Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan had incredible careers, and I was lucky enough to work with both of them,” he said. “Kenny, first of all, from ‘92 to ‘96 at Blackburn — I became a great friend of his, and he was unbelievable. And obviously Kevin when I signed in ‘96 and when he was England manager.”

“If you try to forget about football for a moment, they are two great blokes who would do anything for you,” Shearer continued. “All we can do is wish them as well as possible and hope for a speedy recovery, because they’re superb men first and foremost.”

The statistics underline how central both managers were to Shearer’s career. He made 162 appearances under Dalglish across his time at Blackburn and Newcastle, scoring 110 goals. Under Keegan at St James’ Park, Shearer made 25 appearances and scored 17 goals, while the pair also worked together on the international stage — Shearer netting eight goals in 16 England caps under Keegan’s management.