A fake Facebook profile spreading the false news Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow had died has been condemned by the club.

A copycat page mimicking the rugby league club posted the “news” on social media on Saturday morning.

It said Burrow had “sadly passed away this morning” and asked people to “share the sad news”.

It also shared a link to a fake story titled “Rest in peace Rob Burrow: Full story”.

Burrow, 40, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2019.

Leeds Rhinos confirmed he was “fine” and “looking forward to enjoying the bank holiday weekend with his family”.

The club urged people not to share the fake post, saying the account was set up “to spread hateful news that is totally untrue and upsetting for the family”.

The club reported the profile to Meta, which owns Facebook, in the hope of it being taken down.

Burrow recently took part in the Leeds marathon.

His friend and former rugby teammate Kevin Sinfield pushed him for 26.2 miles in a specially adapted wheelchair before carrying him over the finish line.

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Burrow spent his entire professional rugby league career with the Leeds Rhinos and also represented England and Great Britain on the national stage.

He was known as a prolific scorer, nicknamed by commentators “Little Rob Burrow” because of his height, just 5ft 5in.

MND is a degenerative illness that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The majority of those diagnosed with the condition die within three years of detecting symptoms.

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