LONDON – Former England and Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu has died aged 44 following a cardiac arrest, Tottenham Hotspur said on Friday.

Ehiogu, who worked as Tottenham’s under-23 coach, was rushed to hospital after collapsing at the club’s training ground on Thursday.

He received immediate treatment at the hospital, where he passed away in the early hours of Friday, the English Premier League club said in a statement.

“Words cannot express the shock and sadness that we all feel at the Club,” said Tottenham’s head of coaching and development John McDermott. “Ugo’s immense presence will be irreplaceable.”

Ehiogu, who spent most of his career at Aston Villa where he won the League Cup in 1996, won four England caps.

As well as playing more than 300 times for Villa, London-born Ehiogu played more than 100 times for Middlesbrough after signing for them in 2000.