A legendary footballer is backing pioneering stem cell treatment in Aberdeen that is being used to battle osteoarthritis.

Former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller, who made 558 appearances for the Dons, has been left with the condition after a career spanning almost 20 years.

The 56-year-old, who is the team’s current director of football, has lent his support to the experimental tissue engineering centre being run by Arthritis Research UK and Aberdeen University.

Approximately one million people in Scotland suffer from the condition, which makes their joint painful and stiff.

Mr Miller said: "I have firsthand knowledge of how this affects the quality of life once playing days are over, and I also speak to a lot of ex-players who have been affected to a far greater extent than myself with knee and hip arthritis and are left with the only option of replacement surgery.

"Although it will be too late for ex-players like myself to benefit, this research is really encouraging for future generations of players. Not only could they potentially extend their playing career but equally important is the fact they could significantly increase their quality of life once they have stopped playing.

"Of course it’s not just footballers, there are millions of people in the in the UK who suffer from osteoarthritis.

"Once again Aberdeen is at the forefront of what is groundbreaking research and I am delighted to lend any support I possibly can."

Within five years the researchers aim to have developed treatment of early osteoarthritis by introducing adult stem cells and other types of cell into damaged joints and repairing them through less invasive operations such as key-hole surgery.

Professor Cosimo De Bari, the principal investigator for the new centre, said: "Every patient has their own ‘repair kit.’ Whereas joint replacement uses metal and plastic to replace the severely damaged joint, we’re trying to treat at an earlier stage to assist the human body to repair itself.

"Keyhole and minimally invasive operations for early arthritis have been in development for some years and we propose to improve upon these techniques and work towards more widely available treatments. This requires research at all levels of the process, from laboratory to bedside. We hope that elements of this approach will reach the patient in the operating theatre within the first five years."

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, added: "This early experimental work is the first step on a journey that could significantly reduce the need for joint replacement operations.

"It’s hugely exciting. At the moment joint replacement surgery is the most effective treatment we have but we have to allow people with osteoarthritis to deteriorate until they reach a suitable point for surgery. This means patients are living for years with increasing pain and disability which has an impact on their quality of life."