Son of Manchester United Legend Dies

Former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes has confirmed that his son, Alex, died suddenly at the age of 38, according to the Express.

Alex was the player‑recruitment lead at Grimsby Town. Hughes said that he and his wife Jill are “totally heartbroken” by the loss.

A statement issued by the League Managers Association on behalf of Hughes read: “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 career as a player, appearing for Stockport County and Wrexham reserves. He later shifted to player analysis and recruitment, taking a role at Blackburn Rovers in 2007 as the club’s sole performance analyst.

He had spells with Manchester City and Fulham before moving to Portugal to work for a private academy system from 2011 to 2014. He then became a player agent and later joined club football, first with AFC Fylde and then Morecambe, before joining Grimsby in July last year.

Mark Hughes’ own playing career started at Manchester United and included stints with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers. He won numerous trophies, including the FA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, League Cup and the Premier League, many of which came during his time at Old Trafford.

Hughes earned 72 caps for Wales, scoring 16 goals, including the winning goal against England 17 minutes into his international debut. He has managed the Welsh national team, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke City and Southampton in the Premier League, and was most recently in charge of Carlisle United.