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Lucescu said last week he had been admitted to hospital three times since December Burak Kara/Getty Images Romania head coach Mircea Lucescu is in a “stable condition” in hospital after being taken ill at the national team’s training base on Sunday. The 80-year-old head coach, who would have been the oldest manager at a World Cup had Romania qualified for this summer’s finals, received first aid from members of the national team’s medical staff before being taken to hospital, the Romanian FA (FRF) said in a statement. Advertisement Lucescu is at Bucharest’s Emergency University Hospital, where the FRF say he is “undergoing diagnostic investigations and therapeutic interventions necessary to stabilise his heart rhythm”. Lucescu oversaw Romania’s World Cup playoff defeat to Turkey on Thursday and had been preparing the side for Tuesday’s friendly match away to Slovakia in Bratislava. He will remain hospitalised and receive special monitoring “to eliminate any risk”, the FRF say, as the squad travel to Slovakia today, with the match now being overseen by Lucescu’s assistant coach Ionel Gane. In an interview with The Guardian last week, Lucescu said he had been admitted to hospital on three occasions since December, although he would not disclose his health reasons.  “I can’t leave like a coward, ” Lucescu said when asked on his future ahead of the playoff loss to Turkey. “We must believe in our chance to qualify. ” This is Lucescu’s second stint in charge of Romania, whom he first coached between 1981 and 1985. His 45-year managerial career has spanned 1, 544 matches in total. Lucescu, who has managed Italian club Inter, Zenit Saint Petersburg of Russia and Turkish teams Galatasaray and Besiktas, is perhaps most well-known for his 12-year stint in charge of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, with whom he won eight league titles. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Colin Millar is a Senior Editor for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, Colin was European Football writer at Mirror Football. From Belfast, he is the author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla vs Real Betis, Spain’s Hottest Football Rivalry, and he can be found on Twitter/X: @Millar_Colin Follow Colin on Twitter @Millar_Colin