Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has become the latest football figure to pay tribute to Fiorentina captain Davide Astori following his unexpected death at the age of 31.
Astori passed away from a suspected cardiac arrest just hours before his side were due to take on Udinese this afternoon, with all of Sunday's Serie A games being postponed as a result.
Conte worked with Astori during his time in charge of the Italy national team from 2014 to 2016, and he described the news as a "tragedy".
"This is a tragedy. This news really hurt me. It's very difficult to find the right words for the family. I had him with the national team. It's very difficult to speak about this tragedy," Conte told Sky Sports News.
"He was a fantastic guy - a great player but especially a fantastic guy. I stay very close to his family in this moment because he was only 31. It's very difficult to explain this situation."
Astori won 14 caps for Italy during his career.
Barney Corkhill
