Djibril Cisse: 'Abidal will pull through'

Djibril Cisse has pledged his support to Eric Abidal following the news that the Barcelona defender will require a liver transplant.

The QPR striker backed his France teammate to make a full recovery from the operation and described him as his "brother".

"I'm only shocked by news that he has to have an operation - I'm not worried about him coming through," said Cisse.

"He will come through and be back stronger and fitter. He's like my brother, we are really close."

Cisse went on to hail Abidal as "an inspiration" and "a really brave man", according to The Sun.

Abidal, who underwent surgery a year ago to remove a tumour from his liver, received a flurry of tributes from footballers via Twitter following the recent development.