Former Leeds United player Marius Žaliūkas tragically dies
Former United defender Marius Žaliūkas has sadly passed away at the age of 36.
The former Lithuania international, who played for the Whites between 2013 and 2014, had been battling an undisclosed illness.
Žaliūkas spent much of his career in Scotland, becoming club captain and a fan favourite over seven years with Heart of Midlothian before joining Rangers following his departure from Elland Road in 2014.
He won 25 caps for his country, scoring once, and the Lithuanian FA has today paid tribute to the defender, writing:
"Marius Zaliukas represented the Lithuanian national team from 2006 to 2016 and managed to score one goal. Marius inspired countless young footballers, and his contribution to Lithuanian football will never be forgotten.
"During his excellent career, the player represented FBK Kaunas, Kauno Inkaro, Silute, Hearts, Rangers, Leeds United and Vilnius Zalgiris clubs.
"On behalf of the Lithuanian football community, we express our deepest condolences to Marius' family."
A memorial service will be held on November 4 and the following day.
2020 has been a terribly unkind year to former Leeds players, with legendary defenders Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton and Trevor Cherry having passed away earlier in the year.
Rest in peace, Marius.
What to read next:
Rumours of Farke’s demise have been greatly exaggeratedWith the internet awash with rumours that our manager was toast if he lost the next two games, he needed a result against Chelsea. He stuck with his new formation and was rewarded with our best performance of the season, and that vital win.
Spirited fightback in vain as Leeds go down to Man CityAt half time it looked like we were in for the kind of thrashing we’d been dreading, but after a formation change we came right back into the game, and in the end Manchester City had to be relieved to snatch an injury time winner.
Farke tries to be upbeat about daunting trip to Man CityWe all knew this difficult run of fixtures was coming, and so it begins with this afternoon’s away game against Manchester City. We can but hope that our inconsistent hosts have another of the off days they have been suffering this season.
Manchester City AwaydazeAnd so we start our difficult run of fixtures, as we head to the Etihad to face Manchester City. The kick-off is at 3pm on Saturday, and it’s not being televised live, so maybe we really aren’t famous any more.
Nottingham Forest AwaydazeOur visit to Nottingham Forest is at 2pm on Sunday, and is live on Sky Sports, though the match would have been put back anyway due to Forest’s European commitments. The current TV contract allows Sky to broadcast all games that aren’t scheduled for 3pm on Saturdays.