Former Liverpool midfielder Peter Cormack dies aged 78

Liverpool said that it is deeply saddened after the passing of former midfielder Peter Cormack, who died on Thursday night aged 78.

Cormack spent four years at Anfield between 1972 and 1976, appearing 178 times and scoring 26 goals. The Scottish midfielder won two league titles with the Reds, as well as two Uefa Cups and the FA Cup.

Signed by the legendary ex-Reds manager Bill Shankly, Cormack was known for his skilful play and immediately established himself as a favourite among supporters. During Cormack's first season at , he made 52 appearances, scoring 10 goals, including a winning goal in the Merseyside derby, and the Reds ended the 1972-73 campaign by winning the league and the Uefa Cup.

The following season, Cormack was a mainstay in the side once more, scoring 11 goals in 57 appearances, and although Liverpool could not defend the league title, the team did win the FA Cup. Following Shankly's departure in the summer of 1974, Cormack continued to feature regularly for Liverpool. Liverpool won another league and Uefa Cup double in 1975-76 but a serious knee problem that escalated midway through that season effectively spelled the end for Cormack at Anfield.

“I’ve always had this problem with my knee, my cartilage was cracked,” he explained. “I was told I could keep playing but that eventually it would give way. One day it did just that.”

Cormack, who also played for Nottingham Forest and Bristol City, returned to former club Hibernian and went on to manage Partick, Cowdenbeath and Greenock Morton with a short spell as an international manager for Botswana.