Former Argentina midfielder Ossie Ardiles said Tuesday he was "fine and doing well" after suffering a head wound following a car accident on the Falkland Islands.

Ardiles was believed to have been driving with fellow former Argentina star Ricky Villa a passenger in the car when Ardiles reportedly swerved to avoid a sheep.

Ardiles and Villa were in the Falklands for a TV documentary about how the 1982 war over the islands between Britain and Argentina affected their lives when the pair were playing for English club Tottenham Hotspur.

Although he remains in hospital in Stanley, the 61-year-old Ardiles said he was making a good recovery as he thanked all those who'd cared for him following the accident.

"Thank you to everyone in the Islands who has helped, without exception," Ardiles said in a statement issued by the Falkland Islands Government on Tuesday.

"From the moment of the accident, the attention and care we have received from the police, the RAF (Britain's Royal Air Force) helicopter team, the doctors and nurses here has been world-class.

"Thank you to everyone for your concern, I am fine and doing well."

Earlier, Ardiles's son Pablo, speaking from his home in England, told the BBC his father had had 20 stitches inserted into a head wound following the accident, which took place on Monday.

"I don't know the exact details but I understand my dad was driving and that he lost control somehow," Pablo Ardiles said. "I've heard reports he swerved to avoid a sheep but I can't confirm that.

"The main thing is he is fine, they are all OK."

Meanwhile a Tottenham statement said: "All at the club wish Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa speedy recoveries after they were involved in a car accident in the Falklands on Monday evening."

Ardiles and Villa both joined Tottenham in 1978, shortly after they had been members of Argentina's World Cup-winning squad.

The pair quickly became firm favourites at the north London club, helping Spurs win the FA Cup in 1981 when Villa scored a superb solo goal against Manchester City in a replayed final at Wembley Stadium.

Ardiles spent 10 years at White Hart Lane, making 311 appearances for the club, and also won the UEFA Cup during his time with Spurs.

As the Falklands conflict ended, Ardiles was briefly loaned to Paris Saint-Germain before returning to Tottenham.

He later went on to manage several clubs in England, notably Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Spurs.

Britain has held the Falklands, situated in the South Atlantic, since 1833 but Buenos Aires maintains that the islands are occupied Argentinian territory.

An Argentina invasion in 1982 led to then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dispatching a naval task force to regain control of the islands. Some 649 Argentinian troops and 255 British military personnel lost their lives in the brief conflict.