“A big gentleman off the field.” James McClean and Shay Given pay tribute to Derry City captain Ryan McBride

McClean and McBride were once team-mates at Derry City.

James McClean and Shay Given have both paid tribute to the late Derry City captain Ryan McBride, who passed away suddenly on Sunday night at the age of just 27.

McClean – who played with McBride at Derry City before making the move to Sunderland in 2011 – took to Instagram, where he wrote:

‘Tonight we lost someone i had the privilege to play along aside but also got on well with of the field, a warrior that literally would throw his body on the line when he pulled on that Derry City jersey, a club that meant so much to him, but more importantly a big gentleman of the field.. sleep tight big man may god bless you and your family ??⚪️ #5#townilovedsowell‘

Tonight we lost someone i had the privilege to play along aside but also got on well with of the field, a warrior that literally would throw his body on the line when he pulled on that Derry City jersey, a club that meant so much to him, but more importantly a big gentleman of the field.. sleep tight big man may god bless you and your family ??⚪️ #5 #townilovedsowell

A post shared by Jimmymac_11 (@jimmymac_11) on Mar 19, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT

Given, meanwhile, expressed his sadness at McBride’s passing on Twitter on Monday morning.

Terrible sad news to hear the passing @derrycityfc captain Ryan McBride, Thoughts & prayers are with his family & friends #RIPRYANMCBRIDE 🙏

— Shay Given (@No1shaygiven) March 20, 2017