“Millwall Football Club is deeply saddened to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26. Everyone at the club expresses their love and condolences to Matija's family and friends at this very sad time. The club will not be making any further comment at this time and asks that the privacy of Matija's family be respected,” a statement from Millwall Football Club read.

Born in Grimsby, Sarkic began his career in Anderlecht's academy before moving to Aston Villa's youth system in 2015. He gained experience through loan spells at various clubs before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. Last year, he signed with Millwall, making 33 appearances. Championship side.

“Everyone at Aston Villa is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic. Matija joined our academy in 2015 and spent five years with the club, during which he made his full international debut for Montenegro, before departing in the summer of 2020. The thoughts and sympathies of everyone at the club are with his family and friends. This is an incredibly sad time,” read the Aston Villa statement.

Sarkić was also a regular for Montenegro, making his debut in 2019. He also took part in a friendly match against Belgium last week.