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A tribute to tragic former Newcastle player Cheick Tiote has mysteriously appeared on the Instagram account of footballer Nile Ranger - despite him being in prison.

The 25-year-old ex-NUFC striker was handed an eight-month jail term two weeks ago for conspiracy to defraud.

However a post revealing his sadness at the death of 30-year-old midfielder has somehow been posted to his account.

It is illegal for prisoners in British jails to post from social media accounts while behind bars or to have mobile phones, although it is unclear whether it was Ranger who uploaded the post.

(Image: Getty)

The Instagram post read: “Sad to hear the news about my brother Cheick Tiote.

“He would go through a brick wall and give you a two footed tackle in training a day before a cup final!

“What a guy though, top man and a professional. My condolences go out to his family.”

The post attracted more than 2,400 likes with some users questioning whether Ranger had written it from behind bars.

Ranger could now face a probe by the Ministry of Defence.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told the Southend Echo: “This behaviour is unacceptable and we are working to get the content removed from social media. The prison is also investigating.

“It is a criminal offence to bring a mobile phone into prison, or transmit sounds or images from within a prison using a mobile phone. These offences carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison.”

Tiote died suddenly earlier this week after collapsing in training with his team Beijing Enterprises.