FORMER Liverpool and Scotland striker Ian St John has died at the age of 82.

St John made 425 appearances for the Reds and scored 118 goals as a key member of Bill Shankly’s famous side of the 1960s.

The Merseyside club said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of a true Anfield legend, Ian St John.

“The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool Football Club are with Ian’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time. Rest in peace, Ian St John 1938-2021.”

St John won two first division titles under Shankly and scored the winning goal in the 1965 FA Cup final.

He also represented Scotland 21 times, scoring nine goals.

After retiring in 1973, St John went on to manage his hometown club Motherwell and also Portsmouth.

His Saturday lunchtime show, ‘Saint and Greavsie’, alongside Jimmy Greaves, was beamed into millions of British households from 1985 and enjoyed a seven-year run as television’s premier football preview show at a time when such a thing was unheard of.

Its mix of football chat and humour was the blueprint for shows such as Soccer AM and Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s Fantasy Football League.

Following the show’s demise after ITV lost the rights to show Premier League football, St John maintained a media presence on local Merseyside radio.

It was only a diagnosis of bladder cancer in 2014, which subsequently spread to his prostate, which curtailed his appearances.