Mark Hughes is feeling really heartbroken after the sudden loss of his 38-year-old son.
Alex Hughes, the son of former Manchester United and Wales striker Mark Hughes, has sadly passed away at just 38 years old.
The League Managers Association shared a message from Mark and the Hughes family.
“Jill and I are heartbroken by the sudden loss of our beloved son Alex,” the statement said.
“Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, and a devoted husband and dad to Jessica and their two lovely boys, Sebastian and Leonardo.
We will all miss him so much.”
Alex was the head of player recruitment at Grimsby Town, a League Two team, having joined them last summer from Morecambe in the National League.
He had worked in recruitment, performance analysis, and football strategy at clubs like Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Reading, 1860 Munich, and AFC Fylde.
When Alex was announced as Grimsby’s recruitment chief, the club’s manager, David Artell, praised his experience and skills.
“Alex’s knowledge and background made him the perfect choice,” Artell said. “I’m really looking forward to working with him to improve our recruitment and the team.”
Last season, Grimsby finished seventh in League Two and reached the semi-finals of the promotion play-offs, where they lost to Salford City.
Mark Hughes, Alex’s father, left Carlisle United as manager in May after 16 months, having helped them in their first season back in the National League.
Mark began managing Wales in 1999 and also managed Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke City, Southampton, and Bradford City.
Known as ‘Sparky,’ Mark was a famous striker who played for top clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich in the 1980s.
He earned 72 caps for Wales and played more than 250 games for Man Utd before finishing his career with Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, and Blackburn.