Sheffield United star Rhian Brewster's cousin, 17, News Today suddenly collapsed and died after 'an innocuous tackle' during a football match on Wednesday, his manager has revealed.
Brewster poignantly pointed to the sky after scoring last night in tribute to the teenager's tragic death just hours before.
Kaylen Dennis, an under-23 player for Walthamstow Football Club from north London, passed away during a match at Barnet College on Wednesday afternoon.
The teenager - who some have described as having 'unbelievable talent' - was playing a scheduled college game shortly after 12pm when he went down on a tackle and stopped breathing.
Speaking to MailOnline, News Today Jason Geraghty, manager of Walthamstow FC U-23s and a former professional who played for West Ham, said Kaylen was 'like my own son' and 'an exceptional young man.'
He revealed he was still processing the shock of the youngster's death, having been called yesterday by his close friend and Kaylen's father, Kevin, who formerly played for Arsenal.
Mr Geraghty said: 'Kaylen was playing at Barnet College on Wednesday - it was just an innocuous tackle and he went down.
We don't know what happened.
'He had been a bit unwell for a few weeks, but was still able to play.