England’s men’s national football team’s coach, Gareth Southgate has expressed fears over the possibility of suffering dementia having played football for a long period.

This comes after a number of England football greats have either died or suffered dementia, the latest diagnosis being Manchester United legend, Sir Bobby Charlton.

Standard reports that about five of England’s 1966 World Cup winners have been diagnosed with the condition.

Southgate’s almost two-decade career earned him over 500 apps in the Premier League for Crytal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesborough, including a 57 national apps for England and heading football on multiple occasions has sprung up a concern for the 50-year-old.

The Football Association (FA) also released guidelines earlier this year stating that children aged 11 and under will no longer participate in heading training.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley, Southgate said: “Of course, at my age, having headed a lot of footballs, I do have concerns.

“But I also recognised that whenever I took the field I was taking that risk of injury, short or long term and I knew that, and I would always had wanted to have the career and the opportunity to play, even if it meant longer-term that there might be physical issues for myself or health issues.

“Most athletes would go that way, I think. That’s not to undermine the situation, by the way.

“In terms of the link, there is research going on. That’s a little bit inconclusive at the moment, which is a bit frustrating for everybody because we’d love to have a clear solution. And so, of course, it’s a concern for everybody and we have to keep supporting that research.

“Part of the issue with dementia is age and one of the positives of being involved in sport is that people tend to live longer, they’re healthier, they live longer. And so there’s a possibility that that could be part of the link with the dementia as well.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers we’d like at the moment. I know some of that work is going on in the background. But yes, do I have concerns? Of course, I do. I’ve had people in my own family who’ve suffered with dementia and it’s a terrible, terrible illness.”