'ALWAYS SMILING'

Motherwell star Dunne pays poignant tribute to tragic ex-team-mate Mbulu

HEARTBROKEN Charles Dunne choked back tears as he led the tributes to former Motherwell star Christian Mbulu.

The 23-year-old died suddenly on Monday, leaving behind a six-month-old daughter.

Mbulu spent a season with the Steelmen after joining from Millwall in 2018.

Dunne took him under his wing, forging a close friendship with the young defender who’d moved away from his family home for the first time.

The Well stopper — who spoke to Mbulu on Monday — is still struggling to come to terms with the tragic news which has devastated the entire football community.

Dunne said: “Life just isn’t fair at times.

“I can’t imagine what his family is going through right now, he’s got a little daughter as well.

“I spoke to him on Monday, I just can’t believe it.

“I got some messages on Tuesday asking what happened to Christian.

"I sent him a message and didn’t get a reply, I then phoned him and it went straight to his answerphone.

“I started getting calls, then someone close to him told me what had happened.

“I am still trying to get in contact with his family. I was crying yesterday, I still can’t believe it.

“It’s hard to communicate with people during these times and I just keep thinking about him.

“We won’t be able to go to his funeral and pay respects because of the restrictions we’re all under.”

Mbulu made six appearances during his time at Fir Park before leaving last summer to join Crewe Alexandra on a short-term deal.

The stopper moved to Morecambe in January, where he made three appearances before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus crisis.

Despite his short-lived stay in Scotland, Mbulu made a huge impact at Well.

He quickly became a hugely popular figure in the dressing room with team-mates past and present taking to social media to express their grief.

Dunne revealed: “He had such a positive outlook on life, he was always smiling.

“Even though he wasn’t playing he never once moaned or complained or bitched about it. He just got his head down and worked hard.

“I try to look after all the new boys that come to the club. I want to make sure everyone feels welcome.

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"It’s especially hard for guys moving up to Scotland when they’re on their own. I did it with Cedric Kipre as well.

"You just make sure they settle, they know where to eat, where the barber shops are, that kind of thing.

“I did the same with Christian because he was just a young lad moving up from London.

“Although he was only at the club for a year, we ended up being quite close.

“Ask any of the boys and they’ll tell you the same thing, he just wanted to work hard and play football.

"He was a great player, but an even better person. Ask anyone in the dressing room, all the boys loved him.

“You didn’t hear him complain once.

"He got injured and our physio Davie Henderson will tell you all Christian did was stick his headphones in and work.

“He didn’t moan once. He was always smiling and he just seemed so happy with life.”

Lancashire Police said officers were called to reports of a sudden death at a property in Greenfinch Avenue, Cottam in Preston, around 1.30pm on Tuesday.

Having started his career with non-league Brentwood, Mbulu joined Millwall and had a loan spell at Braintree before joining Well.

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page