O’Donnell, Phil – Grave & Memorial

Motherwell chief executive Ian Stillie said: "The management, directors, players and fans are all stunned and having great difficulty in comprehending what has happened over the last few hours. "At this stage, we do not have all the facts surrounding the tragic death of Phil O'Donnell.

"We have been in contact with Phil's wife, Eileen, and his family and they have given us their blessing to speak to the media.

"Phil collapsed during the second-half of the game. He was standing alone at the time.

"He was immediately attended to by Motherwell's club doctor and assisted by Dundee United's club doctor.

"He was transferred almost immediately to an awaiting ambulance and taken to Wishaw General.

"It is believed Phil suffered some form of seizure and was pronounced dead at 1718."

O'Donnell, who earned one cap for Scotland, was lauded as one of the country's brightest talents when he broke into the Motherwell first team as a teenager.

He moved on to Celtic for a club record £1.75m fee, but injury problems were to blight his time there and at his next destination, Sheffield Wednesday.

O'Donnell returned to Motherwell in 2004 and became club captain, playing alongside his nephew, David Clarkson.

Motherwell owner John Boyle said: "Everyone at Motherwell is shocked to the core and we are sure that everyone involved in Scottish football will feel the same. "Phil was not only an inspirational player for Motherwell and club captain but was an inspirational person."

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee had said immediately after the game that O'Donnell's substitution had been "an absolute coincidence" before his sudden seizure.

The manager had simply been looking to give his captain a rest ahead of Wednesday's game against Hibernian, which has been postponed in light of the player's death.

Clarkson, who had scored two of Motherwell's goals, was substituted moments after O'Donnell's collapse.

"We took Clarkson off because he got a fright from the nature of the collapse," said McGhee.

"We are all totally devastated. This is a shocking tragedy."

Motherwell striker Chris Porter added: "His number had come up for him to go off and he literally just passed out.

"He went down and no-one really knew what had happened.

"Doctors and physios ran on, he was unconscious on the floor and it was clear he was in a bad way, but personally I never thought anything would happen.

"Everyone thought he would be okay and he had just fainted, so it was a real shock to find out he had passed away."

Former England captain Butcher added: "Phil was part of a very big and a very strong family and they'll need that strength now because you just can't imagine a professional footballer getting prepared for a game, playing the game and then not going back home.

"Everybody loved him, I don't know anyone in the game who did not like Phil O'Donnell."

O'Donnell was thought to have suffered some form of seizure and leaves behind a wife and four young children.

He had two spells at Motherwell, the first successfully earning him a big-money move to Celtic and then Sheffield Wednesday.

But injuries meant he was released from the Yorkshire club and he was enjoying his second spell at Motherwell as club captain.

Brown helped develop O'Donnell's talents during his time as Scotland Under-21 coach and said he was a player of real promise.

"I think in his first spell at Motherwell he was probably the best box-to-box midfield player – maybe not just in Scotland but in the UK.

"He was a Steven Gerrard-type player. It was no surprise he joined Celtic.

"There is no doubt that anyone who knew Phil O'Donnell knew he was a gentleman, a good family man, a courteous, polite, totally conscientious guy.

"It's very, very sad news. I just can't get over it.

"I think everyone in the game will acknowledge what a wonderful player he was and an outstanding gentleman and I would expect to have a minute's applause at every ground in Scotland at the next fixture."

Motherwell's match against Hibernian on 2 January has been postponed,.

The Fir Park club's next fixture, against Celtic, is currently under discussion.

Former Motherwell player and director of football at the club Pat Nevin said that O'Donnell's second spell with Motherwell cut short a return to form after an injury-blighted career.

"In all my time in Scottish football I can't remember a bad word said about Phil O'Donnell and that speaks volumes considering what is usually said about footballers," said Nevin.

"If a player ever deserved a Indian summer in his career it was Phil and he was having that at Motherwell – they were having a great time this year.

"He was club captain and he was making the very best of it. It was terribly tragic because he really deserved this period of happiness and success at Motherwell." Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith was another who knew O'Donnell for many years.

"This is absolutely devastating news," he said.

"Phil was not just a wonderful footballer, he was a great human being."

Former First Minister Jack McConnell, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, thought the loss would be felt throughout Lanarkshire.

"Phil O'Donnell was a great professional who was admired by fellow players and fans alike," he said.

"As captain, he helped transform Motherwell this season.

"Phil will be sadly missed by his family and by football fans, but he will be mourned by the whole community."

Motherwell striker Chris Porter paid an emotional tribute to his team-mate O'Donnell.

"He was an amazing guy," said Porter, who joined Motherwell from Oldham in the summer.

"When I first came he was the first person I met. He came out especially to meet me.

"It's a massive loss to Motherwell. He was just a great player and a great person. Everyone will miss him."