FORMER Bolton Wanderers star Jlloyd Samuel has reportedly died, aged 37.

The ex-left back died in a car accident this morning near Lymm, just outside Warrington.

Cheshire Constabulary confirmed the tragic news in a statement.

A spokesman said: "At around 7.55am police were called following reports of a collision involving a van and a Range Rover near to Costcutter on West Lane.

"Sadly the driver of the car, Jlloyd Samuel, 37, from Lymm, died at the scene.

"His next of kin have been informed and are currently being supported by specially trained officers."

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association also released a statement via its Facebook page.

It reads: "We've received some terrible news that former national defender and Ex-Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers player Jlloyd Samuel died in a car crash this morning in England.

"According to reports, Jlloyd was returning home after dropping his kids off to school and collided with an oncoming vehicle. His vehicle caught fire and his body was discovered burnt.

"The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and his former national teammates at this time extends deepest condolences to his family members both in the UK and here in Trinidad and Tobago."

The driver of the van, a 54-year-old man, has also sustained serious injuries and police said he has been taken to hospital for treatment.

Firefighters also attended the crash as one of the vehicles was 'well alight' near Costcutter.

Bolton Wanderers released a statement on the incident via its Twitter account.

It said: "Everybody associated with Bolton Wanderers Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former defender, Jlloyd Samuel.

"Rest in peace, Jlloyd. Our deepest condolences are with his family and friends at this difficult time."

Samuel joined Wanderers in 2007 as Sammy Lee's first signing at the club.

He went on to play 71 games for the club, including appearing in every match of the 2008/09 Premier League season.

Kevin Davies was at Bolton for Samuel’s entire stint and has paid tribute to his former teammate.

He said: “Jlloyd had so much energy. He was the life and soul of the party.

“He enjoyed being a footballer. He loved the social side of things, mixing with other players, and all the glamour, the cars, the houses, the fashion.

“But most of all he was a fun bloke to know. He always had great stories to tell.

“My wife, Emma, knew his wife well, and our kids used to play together when they were younger. It’s such a hard piece of news to take.

“He was under-rated as a player. There were times he didn’t have a first team place but you knew when he came into the team he’d do a job for you. You could trust him.

“I spoke to him when he came back from playing in Iran and wanted to get fixed up and we’ve stayed in touch as footballers do. We’ve got a group chat of the players from my time and you can see by the reaction how much he was loved.”

His condolences were echoed by Whites legend Gretar Steinsson who said: “It is devastating news and my heart goes out to his wife and his kids.

“He was a top guy, a massive family man who loved his kids, spent lots of time with them.

“Jlloyd was one of the nicest blokes you could wish to come across. He was just great fun to have around the place.

“He was a big part of a good team. We had a lot of character in that group and Jlloyd was one of those people you just wanted to spend time with.

“He was great to have around in the good times at Bolton but also an important person in the tough times too, because he was a fighter.”

Before joining the Bolton, the defender spent nine seasons at Aston Villa, racking up 169 appearances.

The West Midlands side released a statement which reads: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of our former player Jlloyd Samuel at the age of just 37 in a car accident."

Villa will play Middlesborough tonight in the Championship play-off semi-finals and the club has confirmed that players will wear black armbands "as a mark of respect".

The statement added: "Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this very difficult time."