Jlloyd Samuel dead: Former Aston Villa defender, aged 37, killed in car crash after dropping children at school

Former Aston Villa defender Jlloyd Samuel has died in a car crash at the age of 37.

Samuel’s Range Rover was involved in a crash with a van at 7:55am in High Legh, Cheshire, after he had dropped his children off at school.

His family have been informed and are currently being supported by specially trained police officers.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association confirmed the devastating news on their official Facebook page.

Samuel was part of the prestigious Sunday League youth side Senrab and came through the ranks at Charlton before joining Villa.

He made his debut in 1999 and went on to make close to 200 appearances before joining Bolton in 2007.

Former club Villa will wear black armbands for their play-off clash with Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

A Cheshire Police statement read: “Emergency services remain at the scene of a serious collision involving a van and a car in High Legh.

“At around 7.55am police were called following reports of a collision involving a van and a Range Rover near to Costcutter on West Lane.

“Sadly the driver of the car, Jlloyd Samuel, 37, from Lymm, died at the scene.

“His next of kin have been informed and are currently being supported by specially trained officers.

“The driver of the van, a 54-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and has been taken to hospital for treatment.

“Road closures remain in place at either end of West Lane, near to the junctions of the A56 and the A50. Motorists are advised to avoid the area.”

Samuel had three children Javarne 10, Lakyle 8 and Amara 5 with wife Emma.

He had most recently been coaching Cheshire non-league side Egerton.

Samuel, who ended his playing career in Iran, made a handful of international appearances for Trinidad after playing for England at Under-21 level.

Samuel had been selected by England in 2004 by Sven-Goran Eriksson but was not selected and later chose to play for the country of his birth.

He had hoped to be named in the 2006 World Cup squad but his application was rejected by FIFA.

The defender would later make his debut for Trinidad in 2009.

Speaking about his experiences of playing in Iran, he said last year: “When I first arrived at the training ground, they gave me a special welcome – I saw the sheep, the sheep looked at me, I was looking at the sheep and the next thing the neck is gone.

“People were walking through the blood, they put it on themselves and then carried on like nothing had happened.

“I soon realised that was their culture, they do it for good fortune. If they are struggling in the league, or need good luck for a big derby match, then they would do it before a game.

“In the end I would turn around, I did not want to see it, I was not against their religion, but it is something I did not want to see.”