Tottenham Under-23 coach Ugo Ehiogu tragically passes away

Tottenham Hotspur lost one of their own today, with the passing of Under-23 coach Ugo Ehiogu, who was unable to pull through after collapsing at the training ground on Thursday.

The 44-year-old suffered a sudden heart attack. Spurs confirmed the news this morning and the Mirror was one of the first publications to break the terrible news.

He was rushed to hospital after collapsing on the training pitch on Thursday but emergency doctors were unable to resuscitate him. The former England, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa defender joined Spurs coaching staff full time in July 2014.

Touching tributes have poured in, including from Tottenham club chairman Daniel Levy, who said via Spurs official website, “This is an incredibly sad day for the Club and a tragic loss of a talented member of our Spurs family. Ugo was an extremely popular and respected academy coach, a tremendous influence on our younger players both in training and away from the pitch and he will be greatly missed. Everyone’s thoughts are with Ugo’s family at this difficult time.”

Spurs gaffer Mauricio Pochettino also offered his thoughts and prayers:

“Ugo was a lovely man and we had a very good relationship from the first day we arrived at the Club.

“He was a person who always helped us a lot and we will miss him greatly. We are all in shock, it happened so quickly. I send all my love to his family and friends at such a difficult time. It’s a huge loss both personally and for all the Tottenham Hotspur family.”

Harry Kane, who was coached by Ugo during his Under-20 days, paid tribute to the fallen 44-year-old:

“Ugo was a big part of our development team at Spurs and a great character around the place, full of life, always laughing and joking, always in good spirits.

“He was a fantastic person for the younger players at the Club to be around. He was a great coach and an inspiration to those younger players, he’d been there and done it at the very highest level and played for England.

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“They had the benefit of all that experience, wanted to learn from him and looked up to him. It’s such sad news, completely out of the blue. All our thoughts from myself and the players go out to his family and friends. It’s a sad moment for everyone at the Club.”

On the cusp of such a monumental occasion at Wembley tomorrow, nobody is currently thinking about football. When the players take to the pitch tomorrow, it will be with heavy hearts.

Hopefully Spurs can win the FA Cup semifinal for their beloved Ugo. May he forever rest in peace.