The baby son of former Rangers star Ally McCoist remains in a stable condition in intensive care after undergoing major heart surgery last week.

Seven-week-old Mitchell was rushed to Yorkhill Children's Hospital in Glasgow after becoming sick at the family's home in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire.

On Thursday, surgeons operated to reduce the blood flow to his lungs, but he will still need a further operation to repair a hole in his heart.

A spokesman for Yorkhill hospital said: ''The baby is in the intensive care department and his condition is stable.''

Mitchell, who has a twin brother called Argyle, was at the centre of a heart scare just days after Mrs McCoist, 30, gave birth last month. Doctors diagnosed a possible leak in a valve in Mitchell's heart during routine checks and both babies were transferred to a specialist ward at Yorkhill for more tests before the family was allowed home.

The couple were warned that their baby son would required an operation to close the hole in his heart when he was six months old.

However, Mitchell had to be taken to hospital last Monday after becoming ill. He was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley for tests and then transferred to Yorkhill in Glasgow where specialists made the decision to operate.

At the weekend, Ally McCoist, 35, told of his heartache over his son's illness. ''It is a worrying time. Mitchell needs all our thoughts and prayers right now. You think with all your years on the big stage you are geared up to handle anything. But nothing can prepare you for coping with seeing your wee boy so helpless.

''Mitchell needs us and our thoughts and prayers just as we need each other right now. And that is all we are thinking of.''

McCoist is currently looking for a new club to continue his career after being freed from his contract by Rangers at the end of last season.

He married his wife, Allison - a former beauty queen - in October 1990 after courting her for seven years.

He signed for Rangers from Sunderland in 119983 and twice won the Golden Boot for being the top club scorer in Europe. However, he missed out on selection for the Scotland squad for the 191998 World Cup.