Ugo Ehiogu, the coach of Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League 2 team, has died at the age of 44, the club have announced.
The former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender suffered a cardiac arrest at Spurs' training centre on Thursday and passed away in the early hours of Friday morning.
It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Ugo Ehiogu, our Under-23 coach. pic.twitter.com/sSU0yqVfyk
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 21, 2017
"Words cannot express the shock and sadness we all feel at the club," John McDermott, Spurs' head of coaching and player development, said. "Ugo's immense presence will be irreplaceable. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife Gemma and his family."
Ehiogu had a distinguished Premier League career as a player, making 355 appearances from 1992 to 2007 during spells with Aston Villa and Boro.
Press Conference: Bruce on Ugo – “I played against him. Big Ron bought him for £45,000 – what a bargain. He was a great player.” #AVFC pic.twitter.com/BCuLioe9LD
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) April 21, 2017
Signed by Aston Villa from West Bromwich Albion in 1991, he went on to help them finish second in the 1992/93 PL campaign, as well as winning the EFL Cup in 1993/94 and 1995/96. He picked up the first of four full England caps as a result.
He continued to flourish at centre-back at his next club, Middlesbrough, playing a pivotal role as they won the first major trophy in their history - the 2004 EFL Cup - and reached the 2005/06 UEFA Cup final.
Middlesbrough Football Club pays tribute to our Carling Cup hero Ugo Ehiogu
— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) April 21, 2017
➡️ https://t.co/8XbvMUzv7I pic.twitter.com/XaSIGuDXlG
He then played for Rangers and Sheffield United before being appointed as Spurs' development squad coach in 2014, and has established the Under-23 team as a mainstay in Premier League 2 Division 1 during that time.
See: Ugo Ehiogu gallery