Ray Wilkins has been described as “one of the finest midfielders of his generation” after the former England captain died in hospital following a cardiac arrest. He was 61.

Wilkins, who won 84 caps for his country from 1976-86, had been treated in St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south-west London, since Friday.

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke led the tributes to Wilkins, saying: “I am deeply saddened to hear this news.

“Ray Wilkins was a warm and kind-hearted man, who always had time for others. Through his broadcast work later in life he shared his love and knowledge of the game with millions of football fans.

“Before then of course he was a wonderful player who made 84 appearances for England over 10 years, captaining the team on 10 occasions. His lifelong commitment to the national team also saw him work with our under-21s as part of his successful coaching career.

“He played for a number of top clubs including Chelsea, where he will always be most closely associated, Manchester United and AC Milan. Such a career underlined his ability as one of the finest midfielders of his generation. Ray will be much missed and my thoughts are with his wife Jackie, family and friends.”

The England team’s official account later sent out a tweet.

Chelsea, where Wilkins began his playing career in 1973 and later returned as assistant manager, also tweeted.

Wilkins won the FA Cup with Manchester United in 1983 before leaving the club to join Milan the following year.

The Italian club tweeted ahead of their evening kick-off against rivals Inter.

Many of Wilkins’ former England team-mates also took to Twitter to pay their respects.