A leading physician has suggested that alcoholism was not the primary cause of death for Manchester United icon George Best.

Best, an alcoholic, passed away at the age of 59 almost 10 years ago, but Dr Jason Payne-James has claimed that alcohol did not directly lead to his demise.

Speaking in a forthcoming television programme Autopsy: The Last Hours of George Best, Payne-James believes that the Northern Irishman overdosed on prescription medicine, which he says had a devastating effect on his immune system.

"George had told his doctors that in the months leading up to his admission he had been drinking heavily," he said. "The alcohol had clouded his judgement and he had overdosed on his immuno-suppressant medication. Not only that: because he was drinking so heavily, he wasn't eating or sleeping properly. The combination of these factors have a devastating effect on George's immune system.

"It's not just suppressed; it's virtually switched off completely. When he developed a chest infection, there was nothing to stop it spreading throughout his body.

"By the time George was taken off life support, the infection had quite simply overwhelmed all his vital organs: his lungs, his kidneys, his liver, his heart and his brain. None of them could perform their individual functions necessary to sustain life."

The documentary, in which Payne-James had access to the medical notes of the death, will also feature Best's son Calum and former wife Alex.