Former Manchester United forward Mark Hughes has announced the sudden death of his son, Alex Hughes, at the age of 38.
Alex, who served as Player Recruitment Lead at Grimsby Town, passed away unexpectedly, leaving his family devastated.
In a statement released by the League Managers Association on behalf of Hughes, the former footballer said:
“Jill and I are totally heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved son Alex.
“Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, devoted husband and father to Jessica and their two beautiful children Sebastian and Leonardo.
“Alex was Player Recruitment Lead at Grimsby Town FC, and had many good friends and colleagues. He will be so deeply missed by us all.”
Alex began his football journey as a player, featuring for the reserve teams of Stockport County and Wrexham AFC. He later shifted his focus to player analysis and recruitment, joining Blackburn Rovers in 2007 as the club’s sole performance analyst.
He subsequently worked with Manchester City and Fulham FC before relocating to Portugal, where he spent three years working within a private football academy system between 2011 and 2014.
After a stint as a player agent, Alex returned to club football, taking up recruitment roles with AFC Fylde and Morecambe FC before joining Grimsby Town in July last year.
Mark Hughes enjoyed a distinguished playing career, beginning at Manchester United and later representing clubs including FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea FC, Southampton FC, Everton FC and Blackburn Rovers.
During his career, he won several major honours, including the FA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, League Cup and Premier League titles, many of them during his time at Old Trafford.
On the international stage, Hughes earned 72 caps for Wales and scored 16 goals, including the winner against England on his international debut.
As a manager, the 62-year-old has coached the Welsh national team as well as Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke City and Southampton. His most recent managerial role was with Carlisle United.