FORMER ASTON VILLA star Ugo Ehiogu has died at the age of 44.

Ehiogu, who was the Spurs U23 coach, collapsed at training yesterday after suffering a cardiac arrest.

He died in the early hours of this morning.

In a statement on Twitter, Spurs head of coaching John McDermott said:

“Words cannot express the shock and sadness that we all feel at the club. Ugo’s immense presence will be irreplaceable. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife Gemma and his family.”

Ehiogu started his career in the old Second Division with West Brom in 1989 before moving to Aston Villa where he and Paul McGrath developed a formidable defensive partnership.

He stayed with Villa for nine years, and was part of the side that lifted the League Cup in 1996 when they beat Leeds 3-0.

He joined Middlesbrough in 2000 for a then-club record fee and, while injuries limited the remainder of his playing career, he only retired in 2009.

Ehiogu won four England caps, scoring once and began his coaching career as part of Peter Taylor’s set-up for the U20 World Cup in 2013.

He had been working as a coach for Tottenham’s underage teams since 2014.

Ehiogu is survived by his wife Gemma.

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