Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Manchester United manager, has paid tribute to Peter Whittingham after the tragic death of the former Cardiff City midfielder.

Whittingham passed away on Thursday having suffered serious head injuries in a fall at a pub earlier this month.

The 35-year-old made 413 appearances for Cardiff, scoring 85 goals, having come up through Aston Villa’s youth system.

Solskjaer managed Whittingham during his time in charge of Cardiff in 2014 and paid tribute to his former player, who retired from football in 2018.

“I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Peter Whittingham,” Solskjaer said.

“Peter was a fantastic footballer and an incredible human being. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him during my time at Cardiff City.

“It’s hard to believe that he has been taken from us at such a young age. Peter will be deeply missed and our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.”

In a club statement released on Thursday, Cardiff said they were “heartbroken” and “shaken to our very foundation” by Whittingham’s passing.

“First and foremost, Peter was a family man - and somebody who could light up a room with his sense of humour, warmth and personality,” the statement read. 

“Then, as a professional footballer - as a Bluebird - he excelled with talent, ease, grace and humility. Nobody did it better.

“The loss of Peter will be painfully felt by our city, supporters and indeed all who ever had the pleasure of knowing him. We love you Pete and your memory will eternally stay with us.”

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