Former Manchester United forward, Mark Hughes has confirmed that his son, Alex, has died suddenly at the age of 38. Alex was the player recruitment lead at Grimsby Town.
Mark Hughes, pictured top right, stated that he and his wife Jill have been left “totally heartbroken” by his passing.
A statement released by the League Managers Association on behalf of Hughes read:“Jill and I are totally heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved son Alex.
“Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, devoted husband and father to Jessica and their two beautiful children Sebastian and Leonardo. “Alex was Player Recruitment Lead at Grimsby Town FC, and had many good friends and colleagues. He will be so deeply missed by us all.”
Alex started his journey in football as a player, turning out for the reserve sides of Stockport County and Wrexham. He then moved away from playing to focus on performance analysis and recruitment, taking up a role at Blackburn Rovers in 2007 as a performance analyst.
Spells with Manchester City and Fulham followed, and he later worked for a private academy system in Portugal from 2011 until 2014, as well as holding a role with 1860 Munich. He then became a player agent before moving back into club football, first with AFC Fylde and then Morecambe, before joining Grimsby Town in July 2025.
Grimsby Town expressed deep sadness and shock following the news, with Chairman Andrew Pettit stating: “Everyone at Grimsby Town Football Club is shocked and saddened by the news of Alex’s passing.
Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. He will always be remembered as a valued member of the Mariners family who contributed so much during his time with us.”
Mark Hughes started his own playing career with Manchester United before featuring for Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers. He won numerous trophies during his playing career, including the FA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, League Cup, and the Premier League, with many of those successes coming during his time at Old Trafford.
He also earned 72 international caps for Wales, scoring 16 goals, which included a memorable winning goal against England just 17 minutes into his international debut.The 62-year-old went on to manage the Welsh national team, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke City, and Southampton in the Premier League, and was most recently in charge of Carlisle United.