Arne Slot has released an emotional statement following Diogo Jota's tragic death.
The Liverpool forward and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in a car crash in the early hours of this morning (3 July).
The Premiere League winning team said it is 'devastated' by the player's passing and supporters have been paying tribute to the 28-year-old and his brother at Anfield today.
Former manager Jurgen Klopp wrote on Instagram that he was 'heartbroken' over the deaths as Jota's Portugal teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, said it 'doesn't make sense'.
A person statement from Slot on the club's website said they are in 'absolute shock'.
“What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not," the manager said in a statement.
“All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about.
“For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a team-mate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special.
“We need everyone at the club to stand together and to be there for one another. We owe this to Diogo, to Andre Silva, to their wider family and to ourselves.”
Local police, investigating the accident at 1230am on Thursday in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora, said: “In the absence of a conclusion of the experts’ evidence, everything points that a car left the road, due to a tyre blowout while overtaking.”
More to follow.