Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has revealed his "great sadness" following the news that Cheick Tiote had passed away at the age of 30.
On Monday, it was confirmed via Tiote's agent that the midfielder had died after collapsing during a training session with Chinese club Beijing Enterprises.
Tiote only left Newcastle in February after spending seven years with the Magpies, and Benitez has paid tribute to the Ivorian following his passing.
"It is with great sadness that I have this afternoon learned of Cheick's death. In the all the time that I have known him, he was a true professional, dedicated and above all, a great man. Our hearts go out to his family and friends at such a sad time," Benitez said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a statement from Newcastle read: "We are devastated to have learnt of the tragic passing of Cheick Tiote at the age of just 30. The thoughts of everyone at Newcastle United are with Cheick's family, friends, teammates and everyone connected with the clubs he represented."
Twitter has also been rife with tributes to the midfielder, who started his professional career in the Netherlands with Anderlecht.
