Jimmy Greaves...now as 'fit as a butcher's dog' after mini-stroke. Pictured at the PFA awards in 2010 by the Press Association

Former England footballer Jimmy Greaves is on the road to recovery after suffering a stroke...and has praised the NHS.

The 72-year-old former Spurs and West Ham star spent two nights in hospital and underwent neck surgery after falling ill at his home in Chelmsford.

East Ham-born has since been discharged and says he is feeling as fit as ever.

“I had a mini-stroke but just weeks later I’m honestly feeling better than I have in year. I’m as fit as a butcher’s dog,” Jimmy told The People.

Doctors at Broomfield Hospital discovered Jimmy had suffered a transient ischaemic attack.

They performed a successful operation on an artery in his neck before giving him the all-clear.

Jimmy added: “I’m out and about, enjoying life to the full. I lost a stone, which I needed to do and it’s made me feel a lot younger.

“If anyone complains about the NHS don’t believe a word of it. The people who looked after me couldn’t have been any more professional or caring.”

Jimmy who has been on tour with football friends with a stand-up show for the last two years, is England’s third top scorer of all-time, though Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker played more games to beat his total. Most regard him as the country’s greatest goalscorer of all time.