• The 37-year-old reported to be returning home from school run • Former defender played 169 games during nine years at Villa

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The former Aston Villa and Bolton defender Jlloyd Samuel died in a car crash on Tuesday morning.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of our former player Jlloyd Samuel at the age of just 37 in a car accident,” Villa said on Twitter. “Our players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect tonight [in the Championship play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough] and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this very difficult time.”

The Manchester United full-back Ashley Young tweeted: “Absolutely gutted to hear the news of the passing of Jlloyd Samuel. Took me under his wing when I joined Villa and helped me settle.”

Samuel played 169 league games during nine years at Villa before joining Bolton in 2007, going on to make 71 league appearances over four years. He also had loan spells at Gillingham and Cardiff. Most recently he has been the player-manager of the non-league club Egerton.

Samuel was capped by England from under-18 to under-21 level and was an unused substitute for a senior international against Sweden in 2004. He decided to represent Trinidad and Tobago, winning two caps. He also played club football in Iran between 2011 and 2015.

The Trinidad and Tobago FA said in a statement: “We’ve received some terrible news that former national defender and ex-Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers player Jlloyd Samuel died in a car crash this morning in England.

“According to reports, Jlloyd was returning home after dropping his kids off to school and collided with an oncoming vehicle.

“The Trinidad and Tobago FA and his former national team-mates at this time extends deepest condolences to his family members both in the UK and here in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jlloyd Samuel in action for England U21s. Photograph: The FA/Rex/Shutterstock

Born in San Fernando, Trinidad, Samuel moved to the UK as a youngster and attended school in Blackheath. He played for London Schoolboys and Charlton youth sides before signing for Villa.

Cheshire police said they were called to a serious collision involving a van and a Range Rover in High Legh, Cheshire at 7:55am.

“Sadly the driver of the car, Jlloyd Samuel, 37, from Lymm, died at the scene,” they said in a statement. “The driver of the van, a 54-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and has been taken to hospital.”