Gareth Southgate pays emotional tribute to Ugo Ehiogu – his former England, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough team-mate
Three Lions manager said he was stunned by the Tottenham coach's death and sent his thoughts to his family
GARETH SOUTHGATE praised ‘colossus’ Ugo Ehiogu after the sudden death of the former England star.
Spurs’ preparations for today’s FA Cup semi- final with Chelsea were overshadowed when coach Ehiogu, 44, died following a cardiac arrest suffered during a training session.
And Three Lions boss Southgate led the tributes to his pal and former England, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough team-mate.
Southgate said: “I’m stunned and deeply saddened by Ugo’s passing and clearly my initial thoughts are with his wife Gemma, his children and his family.
"I know that football will be grieving because he was so highly respected by everybody he worked with and losing him at such a young age is difficult to come to terms with.
“Most importantly, he was a gentleman and he is one of those characters that people would find it difficult to have anything bad to say about.
“I probably played more games with Ugo than anybody else in my career and, while in many ways he was a gentle giant away from football, he was a colossus on the pitch.”
Ehiogu, who coached Tottenham’s Under-23 starlets, collapsed on a training pitch at Spurs’ Enfield HQ on Thursday.
He was taken to hospital but passed away in the early hours of Friday.
Southgate, who won two League Cups with Ehiogu at Villa and Boro, added: “We shared highs, lows and won a couple of trophies together with Villa and Boro and it’s those memories that I will always cherish when I think of Ugo.
“He was one of the most professional people I played with in terms of how he applied himself to his job and it was great to see him progressing through the coaching pathway with that thirst for learning.
“Ugo was a credit to football, a credit to his family and will be missed by everybody lucky enough to know him.”
most read in football
Boro chairman Steve Gibson added: “I’m deeply shocked. Ugo and Gareth Southgate were the rock on which Steve McClaren brought the club its best period in history.
“He wasn’t just a good footballer, he was a great man.”
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who had worked with Ehiogu since 2014, said: “Ugo was a lovely man and we had a very good relationship from the first day we arrived at the club.
“He was always a person who helped us a lot. It’s a huge loss both personally and for all the Tottenham Hotspur family.”