David Moyes speaks out on 'tragic news' during BBC Euros coverage

Former Everton manager, David Moyes paid a heartfelt tribute to Kevin Campbell on live television following the striker's tragic death at the age of 54.

Campbell, who played under Moyes at Everton, made over 100 Premier League appearances for the club and scored in double figures during the 2002-03 season. He also had a successful stint with Arsenal and played in Turkey for Trabzonspor.

Ian Wright, a former teammate of Campbell's at Arsenal, struggled to hold back tears when discussing his friend during ITV's coverage on Saturday. On Sunday, Moyes, while part of the BBC's panel for the Poland vs The Netherlands match, took the opportunity to pay his own tribute.

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Fellow panellists Ashley Williams and Danny Murphy also shared their memories of Campbell, who transitioned into broadcasting after retiring from football. Martin Keown, another former Arsenal colleague of Campbell's, gave a touching tribute while on co-commentary duty.

"First of all I have to say it's tragic news, it really is," said Moyes when asked about Campbell by host Mark Chapman. ".Such a young man, a lot in his life still to do..", reports the Mirror.

"When I first went to Everton, Kevin was already there. He was a huge character in the dressing room, a big player, an incredibly experienced Premier League player at the time as well."

"Really helpful to me when I was starting off, and he was in a really good group at Everton at the time. He was a huge part of it, and it's a real tragedy."

"You've seen the tributes, and it's easy to say that but he was such a positive figure to be around, such a fun guy to be around and be in his company," former Wales defender Williams added. "And what a player he was, growing up, watching him play, he looked unbelievable."

Murphy, meanwhile, recounted an anecdote that perfectly encapsulates Campbell the player and the man. "My first experience, I had a reserve game at Chester stadium against Everton... and he actually hurt me in a tackle. He put me out [for] six to eight weeks. He was the first one to come in after," he said.

"That was my first experience of Kevin, he came in and he was mortified that he'd damaged me - he didn't mean to, but he came in saying 'I'm really sorry' - what a great guy."

Keown reminisced about his years playing alongside Campbell at Arsenal, expressing his condolences to Campbell's family and reflecting fondly upon Campbell's pride in his son Tyrese's footballing accomplishments with Stoke City. "Well of course you want to express your condolences to his family," he commented.

"To Tyrese, his son, who every time we met he was so proud of him - he was often buzzing about him as a young footballer at Stoke."

"Kevin was a very professional person, lit up every room that he walked into, and anyone who's worked with him - honestly it's dreadful news. The show will go on, Kevin would have wanted that, but we must pause and respect him as we are because he was a great man."