Former Sunderland midfielder Darren Williams says former team-mate Eric Roy “always had a smile on his face” during his short stint at the Stadium of Light.
Roy, who was managing Ligue 1 club Brest, died on Wednesday. He had been suffering with pancreatic cancer.
The pair played together in the 1999-00 season, helping the newly promoted Black Cats to an impressive seventh-place finish in the Premier League.
Roy, who played as a defensive midfielder, scored one goal and registered two assists across 31 appearances for the club.
“We were all a little bit unaware of him when he came into the side,” Williams told BBC Radio Newcastle. “But what a fantastic player he turned out to be.
“He was a great guy. He gelled with the squad really quickly. He wasn’t at the club for long, but during the time he was there his character came out.
“He was quite flamboyant. He always had a smile on his face. He was always polite, apart from when he was on the pitch. He was a fantastic team-mate and player.
“He was also good for the younger lads, and I was one of them. If you had any concerns or issues, you could always sit down and just have a chat with him. That just shows what a character he was in our dressing room.
“I could always see him going into the managerial side of things. What Eric wanted to do, you knew Eric would do.”
Listen to the full conversation above or listen on BBC Sounds
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