Christian Mbulu: Morecambe and ex-Motherwell defender dies aged 23

Morecambe defender Christian Mbulu has died at the age of 23.

The former Motherwell player began his professional career at Millwall and also represented Brentwood, Braintree and Crewe.

London-born Mbulu moved to Morecambe in January, after a short spell at Crewe.

In a statement, Morecambe described Mbulu as an "extremely popular member of the squad" and said "news of his sudden and untimely passing has been a shock to us all".

They added: "His loss will be painfully felt by all who had the pleasure of knowing him."

He made seven appearances for Crewe after signing a short-term deal in October and signed for fellow League Two side Morecambe in January until the end of the season, making three appearances.

Crewe manager David Artell told BBC Radio Stoke: "He was always smiling, he was an optimistic guy, and you could see that he'd been brought up properly.

"He had good morals, his work ethic was terrific, and he was everything you'd want in a human being really. It's so sad."

Mbulu spent one season with Motherwell after joining from Millwall in 2018, and made six league appearances during his time at Fir Park.

"We are shocked to hear of the news of Christian's death," Motherwell chairman Jim McMahon said. "He was such a friendly, pleasant young man who we loved having around Fir Park.

"Our thoughts are with his family during this incredibly difficult time."